Fresh, hot, crispy fried bread slathered in butter and drizzled with homemade syrup was one of my favorite breakfasts growing up. In Utah we call them scones, but it seems every culture has some version of fried bread whether it’s Navajo Fry Bread, Sopaipillas, or Beaver Tails.
Utah Scones are made from yeast bread dough and are much different from the more biscuit like scones familiar to most outside of Utah. Mom made our scones with frozen Rhodes bread dough. Most Utahns like to eat their scones with honey butter, but mom always served them with butter and hot homemade pancake syrup.
Mom always made our pancake syrup. She would have said “egads” if she knew how much real maple syrup costs now. As a single mom of six kids she often worked two jobs to get by and money was tight.
Although, I don’t know if she made syrup because it was cheaper or because it tastes so much better. Did her mom make scones and homemade syrup for her, or maybe her sweet grandma who lived with her growing up made scones and syrup for the family. I have so many questions that now that she’s gone I wish I would have asked her.
I also make pancake syrup for my family. My kids hate store bought pancake syrup and even though we do have pure maple syrup in the pantry, they would rather have the pancake syrup they’ve grown up eating.
I used Terrel’s Country Bakers Rolls & Scone Dough to make my scones, a Utah’s Own Company, which was great. One day soon I’m going to find a favorite scone dough recipe from scratch.
My mom liked her scones with butter, jam and syrup. (I definitely get my sweet tooth from her.) How do you like your scones?
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 t. vanilla
- 2 t. maple flavoring
- Frozen Roll Dough, thawed and risen (or use your favorite yeast dough)
- Vegetable or Canola Oil
Directions
- Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add vanilla and maple. Syrup will thicken slightly as it cools. Store in glass bottles. (Mom always stored her's in the plastic pancake syrup bottles from the store, but the syrup often crystallizes in plastic bottles.)
- Pour oil 2 to 3-inches deep into a large sauce pan or an electric frying pan and heat on medium high setting or 375°F. Roll or stretch dough pieces into a 5-inch circle. Gently drop dough in to hot oil one or two at a time. Fry for about a minute on each side, or until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with your favorite jam, honey butter, or syrup.
This post is part of Family Food Flashback, a round-up of childhood faves. Heidi, Foodie Crush, inspired us to post a family favorite recipe that reminded us of our childhood. See the roundup on Foodie Crush and visit all the posts for the recipes and fun stories about their Family Food Flashbacks.
From FoodieCrush: Presenting Heidi’s mom’s recipe for Weinerschnitzel
From The Vintage Mixer: Presenting Becky’s mom’s recipe for Garlic Southern Cheese Grits
From Food Finery: Presenting Tiffany’s recipe for Mom’s Hominy
From Everyday Southwest: Presenting Donna & Sandy’s mom’s Corn Fritters with Maple Syrup
From Cookin’ Canuck: Presenting Dara’s recipe for Mum’s Chicken Curry
From Taste and Tell: Presenting Deborah’s mom’s Chile Relleno
Homemade scone dough recipes I’d like to try soon:
Mom’s Scones, Make It Do
Utah Scones with Cinnamon Honey Butter, Completely Delicious
German Scones with Cinnamon Honey Butter, Real Mom Kitchen
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I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
Also sometimes referred to as Fastnachts or Elephant Ears. We usually dust them with powdered sugar to have as a flat donut of sorts, butthe breakfast thing sounds great!
A lovely syrup!
Cheers,
Rosa
Ahh – Like Libby – we ate Fastnachts (Kiekels?) usually right around easter time and then they disappeared. We loved them – it didn’t occur to me that this fried dough was the same thing!
I love your story about your mom and this syrup. I bet that she made it for both reasons. I remember reading or listening to something recently that said that many of the best chefs/cooks came from less wealthy parts of the country because they cooked more thoughtfully and used everything they had and wasted nothing. Plus everything was from scratch because it was cheaper. Makes you think:-)
This syrup – I love it. I also don’t buy the fake syrup and while we do have maple syrup in the fridge, I ration it heavily:-). So I love syrups like this and my girls always love these different sauces. I do a buttermilk sauce, but I am going to whip up a batch of this. This sounds wonderful and great to have on hand. Sounds like it will store nicely in the fridge.
I love hearing how different people do recipes and what they call them. These were hands down my favorite breakfast treat my mom would make us. We just called them donuts though! She would take biscuit dough and use the top of a 2 liter bottle and punch a hole in the middle. the middle part would then be the donut hole and the other would be the donut. Sprinkled with powdered sugar and you have yourself my favorite breakfast ever. Thank you for taking me down memory lane and reminding me to pass this amazing breakfast on to my family as well. That maple syrup looks amazing
I used to make homemade syrup when my kids were little, but I never tried it with brown sugar. I can’t wait to try your version for my grandkids!
Thanks for the fun comments. I was hoping readers would share their fried bread memories. So far we have Elephant Ears, Fastnachts and donuts. Keep them coming!
I had this one in a Nevada Cafe, but it didn’t look as good as yours!
I’ve been so spoiled by my father. He used to tap the trees in our backyard in upstate New York for their sap and boil it down into real maple syrup. I’ll have to try this out though because my parents retired to East TN and it doesn’t get cold enough to do that anymore!
You have me craving scones now!! I have been planning on making them all week, but now I have to do it TODAY!! I’ve never had them with syrup before! What a great idea. We also make our own syrup, but I haven’t tried it with brown sugar and vanilla before. Definitely going to make it this way next time!!
I am enamored of family recipes, they are always divine! And so many times the recipe has not been recorded;but shared verbally. My mom also made homemade pancake syrup. We called it “maple syrup”. Making the syrup at home was less expensive and tasted better than the store bought, name brands. Her recipe has a ratio of 1 part water, to 2 parts sugar. I made the recipe my own by adding vanilla and replaced part of the white sugar with brown. Somehow, over time we switched to real maple syrup. Your post has brought back some wonderful food memories.
These look great! My dad grew up eating homemade syrup too. In a pinch we always made our own
sounds delicious! we always eat our “utah scones” with honey butter! your mom was a precious lady!
I love Utah scones. They have to be my favorite Utah food. I like them with honey butter, but pancake syrup would be so delicious, too.
How fun that your mum made her own pancake syrup and that you have carried on the tradition. It sounds as though your mum was a hard-working woman and I’m sure she would appreciate this tribute.
Yes, I grew up with homemade pancake syrup…it’s not as thick as the store bought ones, but I like homemade so much better, especially when it is hot. Great tribute to your mom!
I must tell you that the first time I ever order scones in Utah I thought I was getting a English Scone (like the biscuit kind) and I was stunned to find out that they were so different. I’ll have to try making them at home sometime.
My mom made Utah scones too, although we didn’t know they were “Utah” scones in those days! We ate them with honey butter and loved them. Yours look just like I remember.
When I first moved to Utah, I lived in Syracuse. There was a diner in Layton called Doug and Emmy’s where I had my first Utah scone. There were a few years where I would call and get them to make a scone for me and pick it up on the way to work. I probably gained five pounds eating those scones and they were worth every pound! I think Doug and Emmy’s is gone now, but Sill’s in Layton still serves those scones. I’m going to have to make a trip up there one of these weekends…
Lovely post!
om my. These look fantastic!
I like my scones with honey butter…and it might interest you to know that Terrel’s is the only grocery store that we have in Spring City (actually it’s five miles away and one town north). I love it that export their frozen dough.
My mom makes her own syrup as well, but it’s always from fruit. I am going to go call her right now and ask her why she does it.
It’s so wonderful to have a memory like that. I often think some of the best memories of childhood are food-based. This syrup sounds delicious and it’s great that your kids prefer it over the store-bought version. I hope when I have kids they like my versions of things better!
Yay! So glad you mentioned Beaver Tails! And I hate fake syrup too. My mom always bought the real stuff.
Aww you’re too clever mum! I’ve never thought to make my own pancake syrup but you’re right, maple is expensive nowadays! xxx
Barbara, I love these Utah Scones and next time I make dough (once a week with plenty leftover) I’ll try these. They must make the perfect breakfast drizzled with syrup or slathered with butter and jam. Delicious! And homemade pancake syrup? Wow, I’d love to do this!
The utah scones are so cute! Love the homemade syrup too.
Oh how you’ve inspired me with your syrup recipe. This may just be the trick to get my Smudge off of the grossly sweet Mrs. Butterworth’s. Maybe we need to do another Family Food Flashback for December sweets?!!!
I used to make these when I lived in Colorado but we called them frybreads. There was a large Ute population nearby. They were not only eaten sweet with honey but also savory as Indian tacos. I knew people who called them “scones” which I usually regard as the biscuit-like, dry-ish British pastries served at tea. Thanks for the memory!
So interesting, I’ve never heard of a Utah Scone, and I definitely never thought to make homemade pancake syrup. Love the childhood memories you all share in Family Food Flashback.
The scones and syrup look so delicious! They have “warm and homey” written all over them. It is so nice that your children prefer your homemade pancake syrup. I guess some recipes get passed down through our DNA.
I’ve never tried making my own syrup before…I’m definitely giving this a try!
My mom made her scones from her potato bread dough. Fried it and served just like you. Butter, jam, powdered sugar, and/or syrup. Did I ever tell you my mom was from Idaho. I have family in SLC, I just dont know them anymore.
I made the pancake syrup this morning and it was a HUGE hit!! I thought it was going to be a little bit sweet for my liking, but once I tried it poured over the pancake, OH WOW! It was great! Tyler said it was the best syrup he has ever had! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! I’m so glad you all loved it. Tyler will probably not want you to buy syrup from a store any more. Good thing it’s so easy to make.
These remind me of Sopaphillas here in New Mexico which I LOVE. Your scones look absolutely delicious and your mom’s pancake syrup…I just have to make some!!!