Kwarkbollen - the dutch scones

After sharing a recipe of scones and telling you about a lovely dutch version, I couldn't let you wait on this better version of scones. But first: Let me teach you a lesson in dutch. No, honestly all I really want to do is find a good translation for kwarkbollen, but there doesn't seem to be any. 'Kwark' is spelled Quark in English -appearantly- and is something like cottage cheese. But it's really more like a thick yoghurt. 'Bollen' is just the Dutch word for buns or bread. So the recipe I'm sharing with you is for quark/cottage cheese/thick yogurt buns/bread. You see why I decided to go with the original name?

Having that said, I have to admit we're not making buns. We're making one massive 'bol'. Unless of course, you decide to make buns. The idea of kwarkbollen in a bite-sized version already makes me drool.

Kwarkbollen (Quark buns)
1 'bread' of 28 cm - inspired by Okoko

250 grams flour
3 tablespoons milk powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
250 grams quark or (Greek) yogurt
2 tablespoons oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons (vanilla) sugar
150 grams raisins

1. Sift the flour, milk and baking powder together into a large bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl, weigh the wet ingredients and the sugar. Mix them all together until smooth.
3. Make a well in the bowl with the flour and pour in your wet ingredients. Now mix those together - I like to use a fork and 'break down' the walls of flour at the sides as I go.
4. Lastly, add the raisins and roughly mix those in.
5. Line or grease a 28 cm (11 inch) cake tin. Spread the batter out thinly onto the cake tin. Don't worry about the 'bun' being very thin, it will double in size during baking. For small buns, line or grease a baking tray and drop little circles of dough onto it, leaving enough space for them to rise. Better yet, line a cupcake tin with cupcake wrappers and fill those for three quarters tops.
6.  Bake in a preheated oven of 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Spread milk over the cake-bread in the last 4-5 minutes for a slightly darker and softer crust.

You can see from the recipe how confused I am about what to call my kwarkbollen. It's not a bun, it's definitely not bread, it doesn't really go for cake either. This means it is a dutch version of scones. Scones are also these -admittedly delicious- things that are neither cake nor bread nor buns but everything in between. They both go very nice with jam and cream and they both include raisins. I think the kwarkbollen are slightly sweeter, slightly more moist and have a softer texture, but overall I'd say kwarkbollen are just a dutch version of scones.Try it out and tell me if you disagree!

Also, let's face it: the Dutch do it Better. 

Buttermilk scones

There's nothing better than sitting inside in front of a warm oven baking away on these days when the sun finally decides to pop out and the weather is finally warm enough to go out without a coat. Well, you know what I mean. Outside, no matter how warm it is, is still a whole lot better when you have something deliciously home-made waiting for you to get hungry.

Scones are one of those things that are ALWAYS waiting for you to get even the slightest bit of a craving. They will stare at you until you eat them. Behold: a recipe for evil buttermilk scones!

Buttermilk scones
12 large/24 small scones

280 grams flour (2 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
125 grams butter, cold
175 ml buttermilk
150 grams raisins (optional)
Jam, cream & tea (optional)

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together.
2. Cube the butter and use a fork to 'press' it into the dry ingredients until you get a thick crumble.
3. Add the buttermilk and mix it in until you have a sticky dough. Stir in the raisins at this point to add a bit of sweetness to the scones.
4. Line an oven tray with a baking sheet and drop the batter into scones of the desired size, making sure to leave enough space for the scones to rise.
5. Bake the scones in a preheated over of 200 degrees Celsius or 390 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12-15 minutes.
6.  Enjoy the scones with jam and cream and a lovely cup of tea!

You know, sometimes I'm surprised by how fast things disappear after I've baked them. There are times when I swear I've made enough to last at least three days and it's all gone the very same day I make it. And then there are times in which I make something and no one actually touches it after the first slice. These scones fell in the first category. I always think of scones as a tad bit dry, but everyone just seemed to dump them in butter and jam and munch them away. Next time I need to make a secret stack for myself.

Look at what I found on my baking sheet! Isn't it lovely?
If you're not a fan of scones or buttermilk, I have an amazing solution for you: the dutch version of scones. They're called 'kwarkbollen' and they are absolutely amazing. If you totally love scones then that's all the more reason to try out this recipe as well. It's like a slightly sweeter and more moist version of scones.