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Recipe: Easy, Tasty Scones

Does the fact that the word “scone” first appears in a 16th-century Scottish translation of ‘The Aeneid’ make us like this deliciously dense pastry even more? Yes, yes it does.

Matt Low, Juliet Low, and Natalie Low • November 13, 2023

Like their more familiar—but decidedly less sophisticated—cousin the biscuit, making scones from scratch may initially sound like an undertaking not worth the time and trouble, especially when nearby establishments like Le Quartier and Blue Line make delectable variations of their own. However, after just a couple of tries, we can attest to the fact that coffee shop-worthy scones are attainable with ingredients that most kitchens have readily at hand, and that they can be prepared, cooked, and ready to eat in just about 30 minutes.

The recipe below is a slight variation on the version included in Mark Bittman’s indispensable How to Cook Everything, made with dried cranberries and orange zest, though near-infinite possibilities exist for preparation of this versatile treat.

Baking at 450º (be sure to preheat your oven!) makes the cooking time go fast, so keep an eye on the scones as they bake to make sure they’re not overdone.

After the dry ingredients are combined, fold 5 tbsp of cold butter, chopped into smaller pieces, into the batter.

Step 1: Dry Ingredients

Combine:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

Fold in 5 tbsp cold unsalted butter that has been chopped into smaller segments (a food processor can be used for this task, but isn't necessary)

Milk can be substituted for cream, but the latter will result in a flakier scone.

Step 2: Wet Ingredients

Beat:

2 large eggs

3/4 cup heavy cream

More liquid can be added if dough seems overly dry, but mixture shouldn’t be oversaturated.

Step 3: Fold Dry and Wet Ingredients Together

Add the egg / cream mixture to the dry ingredients and fold gently without overworking the dough.

Many variations of scone flavorings can be found, but blueberry and cranberry are two of the most common.

Step 4: Accoutrement

Here's the fun part—what are the ingredients that you want to add for extra flavor? Raisins are easy to come by, and those can certainly be used, but we prefer the tartness of the dried cranberries (1/3 cup) and extra zip of the orange zest (1/2 tbsp), but there's really no wrong approach (except chocolate chips—a scone is NOT a cookie).

If the dough feels too sticky, a little flour goes a long way to making it easier to work.

Step 5: Kneading

After all ingredients have been combined, place the dough on a well-floured work area and knead (fold in half, press flat, fold again) about 10 times, again making sure not to overwork so the finished product is flaky.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule—Mr. Bittman’s recipe calls for a round shape—but triangles feel like the correct shape for a scone.

Step 6: Cut and Shape

After kneading, lightly press the dough into a rectangle that is ~3/4 of an inch thick for cutting and placing onto an ungreased baking sheet. Depending on the shape / dimensions of the cuts, the amount of dough produced in this recipe should result in 8–10 scones.

As with the accoutrement, there are myriad shapes that can be used for scones; we found that a Christmas-tree-shaped cookie cutter does an excellent job of getting the scones into approximate triangles, that can then be lightly molded to look less festive, if desired.

Two scones and a cup of coffee? Yes please!

Step 7: Bake and Enjoy!

Once the scones have been shaped, brush with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water) and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of granulated sugar—for what it's worth, the word "scone" shares an etymology with the word "sheen," and this last step ensures that the finished product has visual appeal to go along with the taste.

With the oven preheated to 450, place the baking sheet on the middle rack for 10–12 minutes. The scones are ready when they're golden brown and the dough has baked into dense, flaky goodness.

Verbatim

Recipe: Easy, Tasty Scones

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