Instructions: 1. Preheat your oven to 450 F. Organize all the ingredients and supplies.

2. Cover a thick baking sheet with butter or parchment paper.

3. Beat a large egg plus the white of a second egg in a small bowl, then beat in 1C milk. Refrigerate this blend.

4. Stir the second yolk in a dish with 1T of water or milk, for the egg wash. Set this dish aside at room temperature.

5. In a large bowl, "lift and sift" together: 3C "loose and level" organic unbleached white flour, 1T sugar, 4t level baking powder, and 1t salt.

5. Cut one stick of cold unsalted butter into many small pieces.

6. Using a fork or pasty blender, work the butter pieces into the flour mixture. Small lumps and blobs are okay.

7. Stir 1/2C raisins and 1/2C broken walnuts or pecans into the flour-butter mixture, using the "fast hands" technique. (Other dried fruit and nuts are okay, if desired.)

8. Pour and lightly stir the egg-milk mixture into the "well-well-well" flour-butter mixture. Stop! Youre over-stirring!

9. Spread a handful of flour on the counter, and dump the shaggy blob of batter over the flour.

10. Quickly knead the loose batter a few times. Stop! Thats enough! Your dough is supposed to be sticky. Pat the dough mass into a rough circle.

11. Rapidly cut the dough into 12-15 well-spaced approximately 2" half-scone-sized pieces, and place them on the baking sheet. Your hands are now very sticky.

12. Quickly and lightly dab each piece with some of the egg wash.

13. Place the full baking sheet in your oven, and turn down the temperature to 400 F.

14. Set your timer for 10 minutes. The total baking time will be 10-14 minutes.

15. Start watching for the bottoms of the scones to be firm and light golden brown. (Keep baking in 1-minute intervals if necessary.) Its much better to underbake them. (After a few times you will be able to know when they are just right.)

16. Cool the baked scones on a wire rack.

17. Its okay to eat them all the same day, because you can always make more tomorrow.

18. Let the scones cool for two hours, store them (not a chance!) in a Ziploc bag at room temperature. Better idea: eat them right away with appreciative family/friends, and make some more.

UTENSILS: measuring cups, measuring spoons, stirring spoon, spatula, mixing bowls, egg beater, towels, plastic wrap, baking sheet, cutting board, cooling rack, timer, scraper, sponge, scrub pad, pastry brush, thermometer, oven mitts, knife.

INGREDIENTS: butter, eggs, milk, water, organic unbleached white flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, walnuts.

HELPFUL HINTS:
BAKING (Too long makes scones dry; watch the bottoms brown)

DOUGH (Too sticky is better than too stiff)

EATING (Too soon after baking gives you indigestion)

KNEADING (You dont need much at all with scone batter)

BUTTER (Too much is better than too little)

PRE-HEATING (Too long or hot is better than too short or cool)

SALT (Too little is better than too much)

TEFLON BAKING SHEET (Buy one! Heavy is better than light)

SUGAR (Too little is better than too much)

MILK (Cool is best with this recipe)

TEMPERATURES (You want everything to be cold)

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