Biscuits and Scones--Master Recipe--NYT

Southern biscuits and British scones can seem intimidating: both have the kind of mystique that can discourage home bakers. But the point of them is to be truly quick and easy — unlike yeast-raised bread and rolls, they are thrown together just before a meal and served hot, crisp on the outside and soft in the center. And what's more, they are essentially the same recipe: all that separates them is a bit of sugar and an egg. The genius of this particular recipe is not in the ingredients, but in the geometry. Slicing a rolled-out slab of dough into squares or rectangles is infinitely simpler than cutting out rounds -- and there's less chance of toughening the dough by re-rolling it and adding more flour. The addition of sugar and egg turns this recipe for biscuits into a recipe for scones. The notes at the bottom of the recipe have amounts and instructions for making scones.

TOTAL TIME 30 minutes 

3 cups all-purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed 
1 cup heavy cream 
3 tablespoons melted butter (for biscuits) or 2 eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for scones) 

Preparation
1.Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or baking mat, or use a nonstick pan. 2.Toss dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, rub butter and flour mixture together just until butter pieces are the size of peas and covered with flour. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in cream. Mix ingredients together by hand until a shaggy dough is formed. 3.Turn out onto a floured surface and gently knead dough together just until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated. 4.Pat dough into a 3/4- to 1-inch-thick rough rectangle shape. Use your hands if you like a nice bumpy top; for smooth tops, use a rolling pin, pressing lightly. Using a sharp knife or dough scraper, cut rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut across into 8 or 12 rectangles or squares. Place them on the baking sheet, spaced out. 5.Brush tops with melted butter (for biscuits) or egg wash (for scones). Bake until light golden brown, about 22 minutes; rotate the pan front to back halfway through. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet. Serve warm or at room temperature. Eat within 24 hours. 

YIELD: 8 to 12 biscuits or scones

NOTE: To make scones, omit the salt and add 2 tablespoons sugar to the dry ingredients. With the cream, add one lightly beaten egg. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. 

NOTE: To make orange-currant scones, make changes above for scones. Additionally, mix freshly grated zest of 1 orange or tangerine with the dry ingredients. When mixing or kneading the dough, add 1 cup currants and knead just until incorporated.