Scones have become a favorite breakfast food in America, largely thanks to Starbucks. Before then, you really saw mostly muffins as the baked good of choice at breakfast. Sometimes if you were lucky you could get coffee cake or a sweet bread. But scones really were not our thing on this side of the pond.
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar (or increase to 1/2 cup if you like sweet)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, very cold
optional add-in ingredients as noted below
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or the flavoring of your choice
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup cream or half-and-half
Sanding or large crystallized sugar (optional)
Instructions
Cinnamon: Add 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon and 1 cup cinnamon chips or bits (King Arthur Flour sells these and are used in my photo above) to the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon bits before baking if using.
Cranberry Nut: Add 1 cup chopped walnuts and 1 cup whole dried, sweetened cranberries to the dry ingredients.
White Chocolate, Cherry, and Pecan: Add 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup pecans (toasted if desired) to the dry ingredients.
Tropical: Coconut lime scones make for a great breakfast in the tropics. Add 3/4 cup toasted unsweetened shredded coconut to the dry ingredients. Add 1-2 tablespoon lime zest to the wet ingredients in place of the vanilla. For extra coconut flavor, use coconut milk in place of the dairy.
Blueberry Lemon: Add 2 cups dried blueberries to the dry ingredients. Add 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest or 1/2 teaspoon lemon flavoring to the wet ingredients in place of the vanilla. If using fresh blueberries, freeze them for at least 2 hours before using and decrease the quantity to 1 cup. For blueberry scones only, just omit the lemon zest/flavoring and use the vanilla.
Cranberry Orange: Add 2 cups whole dried, sweetened cranberries to the dry ingredients. Add 1-2 tablespoon orange zest or 1/2 teaspoon orange flavoring to the wet ingredients in place of the vanilla.
Pumpkin with Maple Glaze: Pumpkin has significant moisture and this must be reduced before adding it to the base recipe above. Place the contents of a large (29 ounce) can of Libby brand pumpkin puree in a pan and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly until the pumpkin is reduced by about half (to 1 1/2 cups). Cool and then stir this in with the wet ingredients in Step 5 above. See below for maple glaze. Note even with this moisture reduction technique, these pumpkin scones will be more moist and cake-like than normal scones.
To make free-form or drop scones, increase the cream or half-and-half to 3/4 cup. Using a large scoop or spoon, dollop the scones onto the lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze as instructed, but bake the scones in a preheated 375°F oven for about 25-30 minutes, until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk, plus a bit more if needed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or clear vanilla (or another flavor of your choice)
Instructions
Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and flavor (vanilla or other) until smooth, adding up to 2 teaspoons additional milk if needed. Drizzle should be very thick and just barely pour. Using a fork or your fingers, drizzle in a back and forth motion over tops of scones.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice or vanilla
Instructions
In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and/or juice. Whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is dip a second time, as I usually do.
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
In a small bowl whisk maple syrup and confectioners' sugar until combined; drizzle glaze over scones with a fork or your fingers. To make a solid glaze instead of a drizzle, double the recipe and dip the scones.
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| Blueberry Scones - Fluted Scone Cutter |
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| Hand Cut Wedge Scones - 2 Flavors |
For those that never go to the famous coffee shop and have not visited our cousins in the United Kingdom, a scone is a single-serving cake usually made of wheat flour or sometimes barley or oatmeal. Here in the U.S., they are sweetened, sometimes a little and other times a lot. In Britain they became popular in the 1800's and are often the central component of the cream tea or Devonshire tea served in the afternoons all over the country.
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| Apple Cinnamon Mini Scones - Pan Formed |
The original scones are made round and look more like a cut or drop biscuit than what many Americans are now accustomed to and they usually pronounce the word scon (rhymes with gone). In Britain I've also found the scones are not sweetened, or at least not much. The classic British scone is also more like an American baking-powder dinner biscuit in flavor. Sometimes you find them with a few currants in them, but they are not the sugared and glazed breakfast foods we eat that come in a wide-variety of flavors. The British serve their tea scones with clotted cream or butter and jam. The American version needs no accompaniment except for a good cup of coffee and can be eaten on the go which is often the American way.
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| Pumpkin Mini Scones - Pan Formed |
So today I'm making the American scone. It took me a while to find a good, basic recipe that I could use as the base scone recipe and for which I could then add different flavors and related ingredients. This recipe comes from King Arthur Flour originally, although I've made some minor modifications. You can make them as a vanilla scone with no additions, but I will give you some options for various versions as well.
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| Mini Scone Pan - Ready for the Oven |
These tender scones will have a dark-gold outer crust, and a light-gold, slightly moist inner crumb. They will also hold well in an air-tight container for several days after making.
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar (or increase to 1/2 cup if you like sweet)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, very cold
optional add-in ingredients as noted below
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or the flavoring of your choice
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup cream or half-and-half
Sanding or large crystallized sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. (Note: the 1/3 cup of sugar gives you a pleasant scone that isn't too sweet, which is what I prefer. The 1/2 cup of sugar is more like Starbucks.)
- Cut the stick of butter with a sharp knife in half length-wise then turn it over onto its side and cut it in half again lengthwise. Now slice the butter across its width from end to end making small slices which will yield 4 pieces from each slice. Separate the butter pieces. Freeze the cut butter. Alternatively you can freeze the whole stick and grate the butter on a standard box grater when ready to use. Keeping the butter cold creates flaky scones so make sure it is very cold before using.
- Add the small butter pieces to the flour mixture and using a pastry knife or pulsing a food processor, cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. If you used a food processor return flour mixture to bowl.
- Stir in the optional add-in ingredients (fruit, chips, and/or nuts) if you're using them as per the instructions below.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla or another flavor (see below), and cream or half-and-half. (Note: In the winter when the air is dry, I use more cream and in the summer when there is more humidity, I use the lesser amount. Start with the 1/2 cup and add more to the dough as needed until all of the dough holds together.)
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients into the well and stir in with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula until all is moistened and begins to hold together.
- Prepare a work surface (marble/granite slab, silicon mat or wood board) by dusting with flour. Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle with a little flour. Make sure the selected baking sheet is large enough to hold at least one 8-inch round set of scones, or ideally two (this recipe makes two). However this sheet must also fit into your freezer or refrigerator, so choose accordingly.
- Dump the dough onto the work surface and using your hands push it together gently but quickly, folding it over on itself 2-3 times. Do not over-handle the dough as your warm hands will melt the butter.
- Divide the dough in half and form into two round flat-topped disks. Each round will be between 5-7 inches in diameter and approximately 3/4 inches thick. Brush each dough disk with milk or alternatively egg wash (one egg scrambled with a teaspoon of water), and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sanding sugar (optional).
- Using a knife or dough scraper that you've run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges for large scones, or 8 wedges for smaller scones. Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them with approximately 1/2-inch space between them. I use a pie server for this.
- Place the baking sheet(s) of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes or the refrigerator for 1 hour, uncovered. Chilling the scones makes the scones more tender and allows them to rise higher. It also chills the fat, which will make the scones flakier.
- While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Remove from freezer/refrigerator and bake the scones for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown. When you pull one away from the others, it should look baked all the way through; the edge shouldn't look wet or unbaked.
- Remove the scones from the oven and cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Can be served warm or stored in an airtight container after they are completely cooled. To reheat room-temperature scones, place on a baking sheet, tent lightly with foil, and warm in a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.
Optional Add-in Ingredients
Adding 1 to 2 cups of chopped dried fruit, nuts, chocolate or other flavored chips in any combination can be added to the dry ingredients where noted. Liquid flavors, like vanilla or orange, can be added to the wet ingredients in place of the vanilla. Some of my favorites listed below.Cinnamon: Add 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon and 1 cup cinnamon chips or bits (King Arthur Flour sells these and are used in my photo above) to the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon bits before baking if using.
Cranberry Nut: Add 1 cup chopped walnuts and 1 cup whole dried, sweetened cranberries to the dry ingredients.
White Chocolate, Cherry, and Pecan: Add 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup pecans (toasted if desired) to the dry ingredients.
Tropical: Coconut lime scones make for a great breakfast in the tropics. Add 3/4 cup toasted unsweetened shredded coconut to the dry ingredients. Add 1-2 tablespoon lime zest to the wet ingredients in place of the vanilla. For extra coconut flavor, use coconut milk in place of the dairy.
Blueberry Lemon: Add 2 cups dried blueberries to the dry ingredients. Add 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest or 1/2 teaspoon lemon flavoring to the wet ingredients in place of the vanilla. If using fresh blueberries, freeze them for at least 2 hours before using and decrease the quantity to 1 cup. For blueberry scones only, just omit the lemon zest/flavoring and use the vanilla.
Cranberry Orange: Add 2 cups whole dried, sweetened cranberries to the dry ingredients. Add 1-2 tablespoon orange zest or 1/2 teaspoon orange flavoring to the wet ingredients in place of the vanilla.
Pumpkin with Maple Glaze: Pumpkin has significant moisture and this must be reduced before adding it to the base recipe above. Place the contents of a large (29 ounce) can of Libby brand pumpkin puree in a pan and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly until the pumpkin is reduced by about half (to 1 1/2 cups). Cool and then stir this in with the wet ingredients in Step 5 above. See below for maple glaze. Note even with this moisture reduction technique, these pumpkin scones will be more moist and cake-like than normal scones.
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| Pumpkin Scones |
Make Ahead and Freeze
Place the unbaked scones in the freezer as noted in the main recipe. When they are frozen solid, about 1 hour, remove from the baking sheet and place them in a zip-top plastic bag, remove as much air as possible and return to the freezer. They can be stored up to a month and baked as needed, even just a couple at a time. Bake from frozen at 425F degrees for 25-35 minutes or until done.Change the Shape
To make round cut scones, form the dough into round disks as instructed. Cut with a biscuit cutter or drinking glass about 2.5 in diameter, and as closely together as possible. Push the scraps together into a biscuit shape the same size as the those that were cut with the biscuit cutter. Cut for a clean edge and discard scraps.To make free-form or drop scones, increase the cream or half-and-half to 3/4 cup. Using a large scoop or spoon, dollop the scones onto the lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze as instructed, but bake the scones in a preheated 375°F oven for about 25-30 minutes, until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
To make the Isosceles Right Triangle shape made popular by Starbucks, in Step 9 do not divide the dough. Instead shape it into one large rectangle as shown below. Cut the dough into the classic tic-tac-toe board making two cuts equally spaced in both directions. Then cut each resulting square in half. When baking maintain the 1/2-inch distance between the scones and also the sides of the baking sheet. This shape is often produced by professional bakers because of the efficiency it introduces into the cutting and baking process. It more fully fills a sheet pan.
Vanilla Icing Drizzle Topping
Ingredients1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk, plus a bit more if needed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or clear vanilla (or another flavor of your choice)
Instructions
Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and flavor (vanilla or other) until smooth, adding up to 2 teaspoons additional milk if needed. Drizzle should be very thick and just barely pour. Using a fork or your fingers, drizzle in a back and forth motion over tops of scones.
Vanilla, Orange or Lemon Flavored Glaze Topping
Ingredients3 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted
1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice or vanilla
Instructions
In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and/or juice. Whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is dip a second time, as I usually do.
Maple Glaze or Drizzle Topping
3 tablespoons maple syrup1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
In a small bowl whisk maple syrup and confectioners' sugar until combined; drizzle glaze over scones with a fork or your fingers. To make a solid glaze instead of a drizzle, double the recipe and dip the scones.
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