What is a Scone
Scones are quick bread that resembles a biscuit. They are usually made from wheat flour, oatmeal flour, and baking soda for leavening. The dough is then rolled into a disk. From there, the wedges are cut and baked until they have a golden brown color. Scones are sweet or savory and can be served as a breakfast treat or with afternoon tea.
What is the difference between American and English Scones?
The English scone is rounder than the American scone but is also more dense and flaky. These scones are perfect for cutting open and then slathering with clotted milk and jam. American scones can be baked in wedges. They are often sweetened with oats, nuts, and cherries.
Four Tips to Make the Best Scones
Use buttermilk: A scone made with high-fat dairy is more tender and flavorful. Coconut milk can be used to make a dairy-free version.
Frozen Butter – Cold butter makes flaky layers that are delicious. It’s best to chill butter in a freezer before you add it to the dough. As the water evaporates in the oven and cold butter creates steam, this helps trap air and create layers.
Do not overmix the dough. Mix the scone batter until it comes together. This will prevent a hard-finished product. The dough should be free from lumps.
Keep the dough chilled. Great scones are made by keeping the dough cool. After the scones have been shaped, place them in a refrigerator for 15 minutes. This will prevent them from drying out in the oven.
Best Scone Toppings
Lemon Curd – Tender scones and lemon curd combine perfectly with a cup of English Tea. You can make your own lemon curd or buy it in the jam section of the grocery store.
Clotted Cream: A key component of cream tea, clotted milk, also known as Devon cream, Devonshire, or Cornish cream, is spread on scones with jam. Spread the jam first, then top it with cream for Cornish-style cream. For Devon-style cream teas, first layer cream and then jam.
Whipping Cream: To add a lighter topping to scones, whipped cream may be used. Add fresh strawberries to make a strawberry shortcake.
Powdered sugar: To make scones look pretty and simple, dust them with powdered sugar using a mesh sieve just before you serve.
Jams and Jellies: Orange Marmalade is a classic condiment that can be served with scones. It works well with either dried fruit or chocolate chip scones. Jams and jelly come in many fruit flavors and can be used with any type of sweet scone. ).
Herbed Butter – Fresh herbs like chives, Parsley, or thyme are great with savory scones. Make a simple herbed butter by whipping 1/2 cup of room-temperature butter and one tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs. Transfer the mixture to a ramekin and serve.
Chocolate Sauce or Hazelnut Spread – For rich, decadent scones, try serving them with rich chocolate sauce and hazelnut spread. Raspberry would be great paired with white chocolate sauce.
Glazed – Scones can be finished off with a drizzle or chocolate glaze or other flavors like maple, lemon, and chocolate.
Popular Scone Mixins: Make Your Own Scones
Fresh Berry Scones Adding fresh berries to scones adds a juicy taste to the biscuits. Blueberry scones are a very popular choice. They can be decorated with coarse sanding or other sugar.
Chocolate Chip Scones – These tender scones are filled with chocolate chips and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chips. Warm them to enjoy gooey chocolate with every bite.
Cranberry Orange Scones: To add color and brighten the flavor, scones can be made with fresh or frozen cranberries.
Pumpkin Scones – These scones are made with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. They will become your favorite fall treat.
Banana Scones – These scones, which are inspired by Banana Bread, are filled with ripe, mashed walnuts and topped with honey. When they are out of the oven, drizzle them with maple icing.
Dried fruits & nuts: Scones can include dried fruits like currants, raisins, and cherries. Toasty nuts such as walnuts and pecans can be added to give them a crunch.
Lemon Poppyseed A little bit of lemon zest can make a big difference in baking goods. It can enhance the flavor of your scone, similar to salt. In any recipe for scones or muffins, a tablespoon of lemon zest and a tablespoon of poppy seeds will work well.
Cheddar Cheese Scones – Savory scones can be just as tasty as sweet ones. Scones with sharp, shredded cheddar and thinly-sliced scallions go well with silky scrambled egg for brunch.
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