Have you ever woke up to a scent of freshly baked scones? Sounds like a perfect start into the day, doesn't it? I had that luck more than once! My husband bakes the best scones and he loves to surprise me.
Scones are so very British. Their exact origin is uncertain, though. They were first mentioned in 1513 by a Scottish poet and may have, for what we know, originated in Scotland.
Originally, scones were made with oats. The dough was rolled out into a large circle and scored into four or six triangular wedges. They were griddle-baked over an open fire that was later replaced by a stove top. Today, most people bake them in the oven. They can be sweet or savory; plain or baked with fresh or frozen blueberries, dried cranberries, candied orange peel, pecan nuts, fresh herbs, spices, cheese, or bacon.
Many people associate them with the High Tea ritual, but they are also great for breakfast or lunch, and can easily replace your traditional dinner roll.
The recipe that follows was tested by my husband many times and the scones always turned out perfect.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Celtic seas salt
- 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes (about 1/2 inch)
- 3/4 cup plus 2Tbsp heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream for final brushing
Tools:
- pastry blender
- non-stick pastry mat or wax paper
- sharp knife
- lightly greased baking sheet (use good butter)
- pastry brush
- cooling pastry rack
Method:
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour until the mixture becomes crumbly and butter chunks resemble small, flour covered peas.
- Place the bowl in freezer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from freezer. Measure out 3/4 cup and 2Tbsp whipping cream and add it to the dough. Stir it in until well incorporated. The dough will become heavy, sticky, and rather unmanageable.
- Transfer the dough onto non-stick pastry mat or wax paper and press it gently into a circle about 1" thick and 7" wide.
- With a sharp knife, cut the dough round into eight wedges. Place the wedges about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Brush the scones with the whipping cream until well moistened.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 450°F for 15 minutes or until golden. Use a wooden toothpick to test if the scones are fully baked. To perform the test simply insert a toothpick into a scone. If the the toothpick comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs sticking to it, the scones are ready. If the toothpick comes out wet and sticky, bake the scones for another minute or two.
- When the scones are ready, transfer them onto a cooling rack and let them cool off for a few minutes.
- Enjoy in good company with a cup of freshly brewed tea, whipped butter, and best bitter orange marmalade you can lay your hands on!
Tip: Many people prefer to use a large, round cookie cutter to bake round, bread roll like scones. Feel free to make your scones round. This is how scones now look in most tea shops serving High Tea. Personally, I prefer them as wedges, but I had them as small rolls in places like the Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel, or the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Both hotels are famous in Asia for their High Teas and the scones were superb.
By Dominique Allmon
Dominique Allmon©2018
