Back in March a reader asked why scones baked at home do not rise to the heights of those bakery purchased. Well it is about time I get to work on an answer, don't you think? My kind and accommodating editor, Alan, joined me in a morning of investigation. We went to six bakeries and coffee shops in the Broad Ripple area. With our six examples of what a scone is supposed to be, at least by local standards, we evaluated each. They all ended up being good in their own right but one outshone the others but just a smidgen, the raspberry oat scone at Rene's Bakery. Scholars Inn Bakehouse came in a close second.

Now some background information on leaveners we use in scones. Baking powder as we know it has only been around since the 1860's. The point of baking powder is to create carbon dioxide bubbles in the dough. This gives a baked item its rise.

At some point in history someone figured out using baking soda and an acidic ingredient did the trick. Soda and buttermilk are still used this way today. Then, cooks started using a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar. The cream of tartar filled in for the acid ingredient. This new chemical mixture allowed cooks to have hot fresh breads for the table with less time and effort involved.

Today most of us use what is called double acting baking powder. It has a combination of two different acids. One works as soon as the dough is made and the other waits for the heat of the oven to bring it into action.

So, getting back to the original question about scones. Since bakeries use basically the same ingredients as we do at home, ours should come out of the oven the same as they do at the bakery. But they often don't. Why?

After making two different batches of scones I have an idea that might be going in the right direction. Time. Allow the unbaked scones to rest for 5 minutes, maybe more, before baking. I found this out when I forgot to put the second tray into the oven right away. The second batch came out much higher and lighter. And don't try using more baking powder than is called for in any recipe. Your baked goods won't rise much more than they would otherwise and they will most likely have an 'off' chemical flavor.

And by the way, thanks for sending me the question Gaetana.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Using a wire whisk, mix these ingredients together till well combined. Cut the butter into the flour mixture to make small pieces no bigger than the size of peas. Add the raisins to the flour mixture and toss to coat the raisins. Combine the egg and water and pour into the flour mixture. Toss and stir to combine. Add a little more flour if you have a very sticky dough. Turn out onto well floured counter and knead 5 to 10 times. Pat the dough into a 6 to 8 inch circle about ½ inch thick. Cut into 8 triangles and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Allow to stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Place in oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or till golden brown. Cool on wire rack and serve warm. These also freeze well.