Perfect Scones

A beautiful Scone shares a plate with Clotted Cream and Imported Jam

We are often complimented on our Scones. Even those from the U.K. seem to like them more. Perhaps because the ones they find around here are the typical,taste-less,over-sugared Americanized version at typical coffee houses. The Orange County Register recently said this:“This is what a scone should taste like. A little crunchy on the outside,but soft and fluffy,and a little dense”. We keep our recipe simple. Handling the dough of Scones or Scons,as they say in the U.K.,is a sensitive issue. Rather than trying to work the dough too much,we use food portion scoopers –something like an ice cream scoop works great. We get 10 Scones out of a batch or 20 petite size. If you have never made Scones,it’s easy to over-mix them. This produces a product that isn’t very appealing in texture. It does take some practice. When you get it down,which may be just a couple of test batches,you get a beautiful Scone that is much like the description in the OC Register.      

 The Recipe:       

2 1/2 c flour –sifted
1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3 oz. unsalted butter,cold,chopped or shredded
3-4 oz dried fruit –cranberry or currants are great
1 egg,beaten
2 oz 2% milk
6 oz half and half 

Preheat oven to 410 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl,then add butter and mash using a large fork or pastry blender. Add dried fruit and mix. Mix egg with dairy in separate bowl. Using a rubber spatula with one hand,gently move the dry ingredients and add the wet,being sure to gently mix any dry ingredients from the bottom of bowl. Fold sides in. When you are finished,which should not take long,there should be a little dairy left in the bowl. Using an ice cream scooper,scoop a portion of the dough and release onto either a parchment-lined sheet pan,or double sheet pans. Bake for 16 minutes then check. Depending on many factors,you may need to add 2 minutes or more. We like to acheive a golden color in our cafe.