Breakfast at J Residence

First question - what is your normal routine for the weekends? sleeping marathon? hardcore workout? midnight karaoke/ mahjong? reading rampage? or bun bun (maid) reincarnated = cleaning nonstop???

The worst possible answer is ... which I learn from many people... "I don't r
eally have anything to do in the weekends.." This is such a waste of time!!

Second question - what is your weekend morning routine? most people sleep through the morning to regain their strength. Some like an early dose of weekend paper with a cup of joe. I like to run the horses and jog in lush green surroundings.

One early morning, I woke up at 7am still laying in bed, batting my eyelids, dreaming about how great it would be to have a hot english scone to start off the day. I quickly got up and fetched for a scone recipe from my pastry books, and decided to replicate one that's originated from Oak Wood, a pastry shop located in one small town of Saitama, Japan.

What you need:
300g all purpose flour
15g baking powder
65g unsalted batter
2 eggs
50g granulated sugar
115g milk
35g dried cranberries
1 egg yolk (for glazing)

How to proceed:
Sieve the flour and baking powder together, cut chilled butter into small cubes, beating the flour and butter in a standing mixer under low speed for 15 min.
In a separate bowl, beat up the eggs with sugar, add milk and chill thoroughly in the fridge.
Chop up the dried cranberries and add to the flour mixture, and then add liquid (milk & egg) to the dough, stir until blended.
Gently knead the dough for a bit and chill for 1 hour.
Roll out the dough to 2cm thick, chill for another 1 hour..
Using a 5cm diameter cookie cutter, cut out the scones and transfer to baking sheet. Brush the surface with egg yolk.
Bake for 15-20min at 200c or until golden brown.

It is a japanese recipe so I wouldn't expect it to be dense and rich. I like the english style which you can taste the intense butter flavor and bread like texture. The texture here is pretty light and cakey. I would need to modify it to make it more english and substantial.. and more satisfying..

Unlimited variation exists for scones.. chocolate chips, raisins, lemon zest, blueberries, coffee, cornmeal, pumpkin, gingerbread.. you name it! just need a little bit of your spare time and creativity.. no need to go to four seasons for a nice hot scone. making one at home is as easy as making a trip to central.

It can't be a perfect morning breakfast without a nice cup of espresso. Ristretto it is, full bodied espresso with a strong lingering aftertaste.

So what is your weekend routine?