Cream Scones

I have always loved scones. They're probably the coffee shop pastry I ordered most frequently when I was younger, especially when said coffee shop sold the kind covered in sugary icing. When I worked at the Hamilton College coffee shop, I fell hard for Nancy Silverton's Ginger Cream Scones recipe, which we made for some of the catered events on campus. I loved how simple and easy her recipe was, and as a huge candied ginger fan, it was the only kind of scone I made for a long while.

Caleb always turned his nose up at sharing a scone with me whenever I bought one out somewhere, because he'd been burnt by too many dry scones. For the same reason, he was initially resistant to trying scones when I made them at home.... until I made these cream scones from Violet Bakery. They're soft and flaky, with a subtle cream flavor that goes exceptionally well with honey or jam.

One of the great things about scones is how easy they are to make ahead of time; keep a batch in the freezer for a fast yet indulgent breakfast/brunch whenever the fancy strikes you. The flavor combinations are infinitely adaptable, but I highly recommend the lemon poppyseed version if you like citrus & poppyseeds. If you're serving kids, this cream scone dough with a cup of mini chocolate chips thrown in is a winning combination. You can make a batch, cut the dough into whatever shape you like, and store the shaped dough between parchment paper in the freezer until you're ready to eat one. Take the formed dough out of the freezer while your oven preheats, as baking while the dough is still cold enables the butter to provide loft to the baked scones.

One cautionary note: I've tried adding bacon, but the bacon flavor got a bit lost and they weren't as good as expected. Stick to non-savory mix-ins for this cream scone dough.

Adapted barely from: Violet Bakery

Cream Scones

These scrumptious cream scones are perfect paired with coffee or tea for breakfast or an afternoon snack. They are deliciously rich and buttery - I think they are even better with the lemon zest and poppy seeds, but feel free to omit that if you prefer a simpler scone. The rest time is crucial for this dough to come together, don't skip it.

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Total Time: 43 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 4 cups (520 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• heaped ⅓ cup (80g) sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons (22g) baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 11 tablespoons (160 g) unsalted butter cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes, chilled
• 1 ¾ cups heavy cream chilled
• ¼ cup whole milk

Lemon Poppyseed variation

• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• zest of 2 lemons

Egg wash

• 1 large egg lightly beaten (for the egg wash)

Instructions

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl, then stir in the sugar and salt.
• Add the cubed, chilled butter and rub into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter, the back of a fork, a food process or stand mixer, or simply your fingers (my preferred approach). Stop once you've reached a coarse, crumbly stage, where the butter resembles small pebbles in the sandy dry dough.
• Make a well in the center of the bowl, then slowly add the cream and milk (and poppy seeds and lemon peel if using). Stir together gently with a wooden spoon (or your hands) until just incorporated.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press into a block. Let rest 5 minutes.
• After resting, fold the dough in half, then lift and turn the dough over onto itself. Press together and let rest 5 minutes.
• Roll the dough out to 1-inch (2.5 cm) thickness. then cut into even rounds with a 2 ½-inch biscuit cutter. You will need to reshape the dough a second time to use the scrapes from the first cutting, but try to not overhandle the dough.
• Place formed scones on lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 10-20 minutes to rest and help scones keep their shape during baking.*
• Preheat oven to 390 F.
• Remove scones from freezer after resting, brush with egg wash and bake for about 18-22 minutes. The scones should be just golden brown around the edges.
• Remove from oven and let cool on tray for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely (or eat while warm). Serve with butter, jam, and/or clotted cream.

Notes

*Instead of the lemon poppyseed variety, add 1 cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips.

**At this point, the formed scones can remain in the freezer for up to 3 months if kept in a freezer-safe Ziploc or other container. When ready to bake, simply remove from freezer. They should come to the right coolness as the oven preheats. Continue to follow baking instructions.