Scones are often, for lack of a better term, boring. And, unfortunately, there are a lot of bad scones out there. Dry, flavorless, chalky things that you can't swallow without submersing them in coffee first. A sad thing too, because when you stumble upon a truly good scone, it's as good on its own as with a cup of coffee. I had such a scone last month when I was invited to visit the Panera Bread test kitchens in New Haven, Connecticut. We (myself and five other talented baking bloggers) sampled a slew of head chef Tom Gumpel's pastries, from croissants to bread pudding to homemade pop tarts, and I almost passed up the scones completely in an effort to preserve valuable stomach space. But I'm glad I didn't, because they were perhaps the best scones I've ever had in my life. Light and tender on the inside, moist yet fluffy, with a delightful crispy outside. And let's not forget the fact that a thumbprint scone is downright brilliant. This recipe is adapted from Tom's strawberries and

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