You can stop collecting scone and shortcake recipes, this is the only one you need. I’m giving it to you plain, but you can embellish as you wish with berries, currants, candied ginger, chocolate, or move them into savory territory with snipped herbs.
As long as you keep butter, cream, and an egg on hand (as you should), and baking essentials in your kitchen, you can be enjoying them hot out of the oven in 30 minutes.
Cream Scones
makes 1 dozen; adapted from Dorie Greenspan's original, published in Baking, from my home to yours
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 71 grams
- ⅔ cup cold heavy cream + additional tablespoon for brushing
- 1 egg
serving accompaniments: jam or marmalade, lemon curd, butter or double Devon cream
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400° F. Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter pieces and using a pastry blender (or your fingers), quickly cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly.
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Measure cream in a glass measuring cup, add the egg and whisk with a fork to combine. Pour over flour and butter. Mix with fork until dough just comes together. Knead in the bowl about 8 or 10 folds. Turn out onto lightly floured board and divide dough in half. Pat each into a round, about 5 inches in diameter. Cut each round into 6 pieces (press straight down with bench scraper or chef's knife) and transfer to a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 18–20 minutes, until tops are golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes / Tips
- Freeze: You can make the dough in advance, cut into wedges and freeze the scones. Bake right from freezer, just adding a couple minutes to bake time.
