This year marks the 80th anniversary of the MGM Studio’s classic film adaptation of L.Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. Yes, I know. This recipe has a pun for a title. You know me, though. I feel that this cultural icon of film and fiction deserves more than a generic recipe where its only thematic connection lies in its look and name. I was an English major in college, remember.
Strap in, folks. This is going to be a long post.
If you’ve already read this though and just want to get cooking, you can find the printable recipe card through supporting my Patreon.
Or click here to skip to the recipe for Yellow Brick Scones at the bottom of this post.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
I know you might have read theories about Baum’s book commentating on the gold and silver currency wars of the late 1800s. I’m not going to cover that because I don’t feel its wholly relevant to Baum’s intention. He said himself that its purpose was to create a series of fairy tales in the style of the Brothers Grimm, in the American vein while removing the association of violence and hard-headed morality. But I want to examine why he felt it needed to entertain.
While Baum himself claimed his story one of whimsy, the theme of self-empowerment reigns throughout both the book and feature film. Dorothy Gale dreams of a world where “troubles melt like lemon drops” and “and the dreams you dare to dream really do come true.” Kansas farmers at the time of Oz’s publication just barely made a living growing in stubborn prairie sod. So it’s no surprise that they would dream of literally greener pastures. The cultural climate of America at the time, though, shows an even greater need for self-empowerment that you could say translates to our own current era.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?
The Gilded Age marked a time of both economic prosperity and economic disparity in American history. Dorothy wakes up in the role of the Everyman of the era’s American dream. She literally crawls from the wreckage after defeating her oppressor, takes away their silver (or ruby) shoes, and then goes to find her place in the world by walking on a road of gold to the city of green.
Throughout Oz, though, we meet other characters who also feel disempowered. The Scarecrow (farmer) believes himself brainless from his lack of education. The dehumanized Tin Man (industrial worker) yearns to feel compassion for others. And the Lion (politician) will not lead for fear of being eaten alive.
When we arrive at the Emerald City, however, happiness is a product of green-colored glasses. The wizard, the man who embodies the most green, is considered wise and powerful. But we soon learn that the wizard is only an illusion to disguise the truths “behind the curtain.” What truths? The facts that wealth does not denote wisdom, that money grants power but not self-empowerment or sufficiency, and that insecurity is the breeding ground of oppression.
Sounds eerily familiar right now, doesn’t it?
Back to Kansas
So how does today’s recipe correlate with the above themes?
I stated earlier that late 19th century Kansas was harsh farmland. It’s true, mostly because the ground couldn’t sustain the type of wheat brought by earlier settlers. Corn did significantly better, but it wasn’t until German Mennonites from Russia brought their own wheat seeds that the land became prosperous. Cooperation, not exploitation, created this thriving farming community. So that’s why I chose to make cornmeal and flour-based scones.
Then I chose to incorporate more Kansas-style flavor by making a honey-lemon buttercream frosting and topping it with sunflower and poppy seeds. The honeybee and sunflower are two of Kansas’s state symbols. Poppy seeds denote Dorothy’s hypnotic experience in Oz, and the lemon zest recalls her dreams of lemon-drops.
Sing for your Supper
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The printable recipe cards and playlist for Yellow Brick Scones will be available as a $2 donor reward on my Ko-Fi page until Friday, September 27, 2019, at 8 pm EST.
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recipe
Follow the Yellow Brick Scones.
Yellow Brick Scones
Equipment: Oven, aluminum foil, cooking spray, rolling pin, wire whisk, spatula, pastry brush, two mixing bowls, zester, grater.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/4 cup milk
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
Instructions:
- Mix the lemon juice and milk together and place one stick of butter in the freezer. Place the other stick of butter on the counter. Let sit for 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 425°F.
- Blend the flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, and cornmeal together with a wire whisk in one of the mixing bowls. Then grate the cold butter into the mixture, gently tossing through with a spatula.
- Gradually pour 1 cup of the milk into the bowl, stirring and folding with the spatula until thoroughly moistened.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Lift and fold the dough four times, giving it a quarter-turn after each fold. Roll the dough into an 8″x8″ square and slice it into 16 pieces with a butter knife.
- Transfer the dough squares to a foil-lined baking sheet and brush with the remaining milk on the scones. Bake in the oven 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. Allow the scones to cool on the sheet or a cooling rack.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat the remaining butter, honey, half of the lemon zest, and powdered sugar with a fork until smooth.
- Frost the cooled scones with a layer of icing and garnish with sunflower and poppy seeds, and lemon zest.
- Refrigerate the scones for 10 minutes before serving to set the frosting.
