Thursday, February 09, 2006
Coffeehouse Scones
Easy. Yummy. Goodness. From joyofbaking.com
This scone recipe makes a scone that is similar to what you find in all the coffeehouses these days. Using buttermilk, instead of heavy cream, and omitting the egg makes a lighter, more bread-like scone. They are baked at a higher than normal oven temperature which gives them a darker, crispier crust. If you find the bottoms of the scones are browning too much during baking, use two baking sheets (place one pan inside another).
**Note from Erin** I didn't have any parchment paper, so I used my pizza stone (I floured it a little) to bake these on and it worked just fine. The scones were evenly baked and golden brown! Also, the second time I made them, I substituted 1/2 cup of cinnamon chips for the cranberries and sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top. YUM. Later, I'm going to try chocolate chips! Also, I used powdered buttermilk.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (move rack to center of oven)
2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/2 cup (50 grams) dried cranberries or cherries
2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk
Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Turbinado sugar, or white granulated sugar, for sprinkling the tops of the scones. Turbinado sugar is a raw sugar that has been steam cleaned. It is light brown in color and coarse grained, with a slight molasses flavor.
middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the cranberries. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix the dough.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture. Sprinkle with raw sugar (if desired).
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Can serve with Devon cream or whipping cream and jam.
Makes 6 scones.
Note: Brushing the tops of the scones with the egg/cream mixture helps brown the tops of the scones.
Note: Buttermilk has a nice thick creamy texture with a rich tangy buttery taste that makes baked goods tender. It is now commercially made by adding a bacteria to whole, skim, or low fat milk. However, in the past it was the liquid left over after churning butter. You can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.
Categories: desserts
This scone recipe makes a scone that is similar to what you find in all the coffeehouses these days. Using buttermilk, instead of heavy cream, and omitting the egg makes a lighter, more bread-like scone. They are baked at a higher than normal oven temperature which gives them a darker, crispier crust. If you find the bottoms of the scones are browning too much during baking, use two baking sheets (place one pan inside another).
**Note from Erin** I didn't have any parchment paper, so I used my pizza stone (I floured it a little) to bake these on and it worked just fine. The scones were evenly baked and golden brown! Also, the second time I made them, I substituted 1/2 cup of cinnamon chips for the cranberries and sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top. YUM. Later, I'm going to try chocolate chips! Also, I used powdered buttermilk.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (move rack to center of oven)
2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/2 cup (50 grams) dried cranberries or cherries
2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk
Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Turbinado sugar, or white granulated sugar, for sprinkling the tops of the scones. Turbinado sugar is a raw sugar that has been steam cleaned. It is light brown in color and coarse grained, with a slight molasses flavor.
middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the cranberries. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix the dough.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture. Sprinkle with raw sugar (if desired).
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Can serve with Devon cream or whipping cream and jam.
Makes 6 scones.
Note: Brushing the tops of the scones with the egg/cream mixture helps brown the tops of the scones.
Note: Buttermilk has a nice thick creamy texture with a rich tangy buttery taste that makes baked goods tender. It is now commercially made by adding a bacteria to whole, skim, or low fat milk. However, in the past it was the liquid left over after churning butter. You can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.
Categories: desserts
