Scone Recipe | Life, Love and Sugar

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

In contrast to some scone recipes that require sophisticated kneading, folding, and rolling strategies 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 a special day, these scones are assured to impress.

What You’ll Want

These scones are comprised of substances you might have already got in your kitchen. Right here’s a take a look at them and a kew issues to bear in mind. Be sure you scroll to the recipe card under for precise measurements.

To make the scones

• All-purpose flour – It truly is vital 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 certain you get this proper.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar is finest right here. I preferred ½ cup of sugar. It provides simply the correct quantity of sweetness and provides to the tender texture. You could possibly cut back it a bit, however in case you do, I like to recommend solely lowering 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 need to do every little thing you may to maintain it that manner till the scones go within the oven.
• Heavy whipping cream – You need milk that has a excessive fats content material for the very 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 ok too. Both manner, be certain it’s very chilly (to assist maintain the butter from melting).
• Egg – To bind every little thing collectively and add carry and construction. Like every little thing else on this recipe, be certain the egg is sweet and chilly to assist stop the butter from melting.
• Vanilla extract – For taste.
• Coarse sugar (optionally available) – You should use coarse sugar (aka turbinado sugar) to sprinkle on prime of the scones in case you’d like.

For the icing

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

• Reduce. Press the dough right into a ball, working in any left-behind dry bits, then press the ball into an 8-inch disk and lower 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 bear in mind to ensure they end up good. If you need 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 need to do every little thing you may to maintain it chilly till the scones go within the oven. I additionally extremely advocate grating it. It creates the proper 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 depart 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 typically 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 an alternative, 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, slightly 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 wish 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 may 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 in case you’d like.
• Zesty enjoyable. I really 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 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.

The right way 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 manner.
• 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 Basic Baking Recipes

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