Scone Recipe | Life, Love and Sugar

Okay, so I LOVE scones and I’ve been on a mission to get you guys one of the best, bakery-style scone recipe for some time. Guess what? That is it. These scones are tall, gentle, buttery, and simply candy sufficient to brighten your day. Better of all, they’re extremely straightforward to make and are available collectively very quickly, good for once you need one thing scrumptious with out a variety of fuss.

In contrast to some scone recipes that require difficult kneading, folding, and rolling methods to create a flaky texture, these are a lot less complicated and have a young, cakey texture that I’m obsessive about. Whether or not you’re serving them for breakfast, a comfortable brunch, and even an important day, these scones are assured to impress.

What You’ll Want

These scones are created from substances chances are you’ll have already got in your kitchen. Right here’s a have a look at them and a kew issues to remember. Make sure you scroll to the recipe card beneath for precise measurements.

To make the scones

• All-purpose flour – It truly is necessary to measure this accurately in scones. An excessive amount of offers you dry crumbly scones and too little means they received’t rise correctly they usually’ll over unfold. Both is a bummer, so seize a meals scale to make sure you get this proper.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar is finest right here. I preferred ½ cup of sugar. It provides simply the correct amount of sweetness and provides to the tender texture. You could possibly cut back it a bit, however when you do, I like to recommend solely decreasing by a tablespoon or two and changing it with a bit extra cream.
• Baking powder – To assist the dough rise.
• Salt – Brings out the pure flavors already current.
• Unsalted butter – The butter needs to be chilly, chilly, chilly (even frozen!), and you must do the whole lot you’ll be able to to maintain it that method till the scones go within the oven.
• Heavy whipping cream – You need milk that has a excessive fats content material for one of the best outcomes, so don’t use decrease fats milks. They’ll trigger your scones to unfold an excessive amount of. I like heavy whipping cream, however buttermilk is okay too. Both method, be certain that it’s very chilly (to assist maintain the butter from melting).
• Egg – To bind the whole lot collectively and add raise and construction. Like the whole lot else on this recipe, be certain that the egg is sweet and chilly to assist forestall the butter from melting.
• Vanilla extract – For taste.
• Coarse sugar (elective) – You should use coarse sugar (aka turbinado sugar) to sprinkle on high of the scones when you’d like.

For the icing

• Powdered sugar – Different sugars received’t work. They’ll yield a grainy icing. So follow powdered sugar.
• Vanilla extract – I’ll typically add a tiny splash of almond extract as effectively.
• Heavy whipping cream – You could possibly use entire or 2% milk, however as a result of they’re thinner, you’d need to use much less.

• Lower. Press the dough right into a ball, working in any left-behind dry bits, then press the ball into an 8-inch disk and minimize the dough into eight scone wedges.

• Chill. Prepare the scones on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and chill within the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Bake. Brush the chilled scones with a bit heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar (if utilizing). Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Suggestions for Excellent Scones

Whereas scones aren’t onerous, there are some things to remember to ensure they prove good. If you would like tall, moist scones that maintain their form, right here’s what to do.

Chilly Grated Butter

Your butter needs to be as chilly as potential* once you add it to the dough, and you must do the whole lot you’ll be able to to maintain it chilly till the scones go within the oven. I additionally extremely suggest grating it. It creates the right tiny little items of butter that take little effort to include into your dry substances. These little pockets of butter soften as your scones bake and go away little pockets all through the scones that contribute to their cakey texture.

No Kneading Wanted

This was the large query for me when arriving on the proper texture for these scones. You usually see recipes name for laminating, or folding, the scone dough to create flakey layers of butter. That is just like what you do with biscuits for his or her flakey layers. I didn’t need these scones to be too biscuit-like, so I skip the folding and kneading. As a substitute, I merely press all of the dough collectively, working it solely sufficient to get it to all stick collectively. The result’s a extra cakey texture, somewhat than flakey.

Chill Earlier than Baking

You need the butter as chilly as potential once you put the scones within the oven, so after working the dough collectively and chopping your scones, you need to pop them within the fridge or freezer for a bit earlier than baking. It simply ensures chilly butter and profitable scones.

Variation Concepts

• Add berries! Like within the photograph above, you’ll be able to add blueberries, strawberries and even raspberries. I discover that 1-1¼ cups recent berries works finest. You don’t want to cut the blueberries, however I like to recommend dicing the strawberries and chopping the raspberries.
• Different mix-ins. You could possibly additionally add chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, or cranberries when you’d like.
• Zesty enjoyable. I like including a tablespoon or so of orange or lemon zest to those scones. Simply fold ’em into the dough with the butter, and also you’re off to the races.
• Icing choices. I went with a easy vanilla icing, however you possibly can completely combine in a bit freshly squeezed lemon juice or some cocoa powder for a unique taste. Powdered dehydrated strawberries (or blueberries) would additionally work.

Find out how to Retailer

• Room temperature/fridge. Seal the totally cooled scones in an hermetic container (it’s finest to attend for the icing to harden first) and retailer them at room temperature for as much as 3 days. You can refrigerate them for as much as 5 days, however they have an inclination to dry out that method.
• Freezer. Seal your leftovers in an hermetic container or wrap particular person scones in a double layer of plastic wrap. They’ll maintain within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Enable them to thaw on the counter earlier than diving again in.

Extra Traditional Baking Recipes

Generally, you simply need to stick with the classics. This scone recipe satisfies that itch, however so do these different timeless masterpieces: