Master Recipe
Cream Scones
makes 8
NOTE: The
traditional British scone is somewhat sweet and biscuitlike in
texture. If you prefer a more cakelike texture, or want the scones
to stay fresh tasting longer, try the Cakey Scones variation. As
with buttermilk biscuits, the easiest and most reliable approach to
mixing the butter into the dry ingredients is to use a food
processor fitted with a steel blade. Resist the urge to eat the
scones hot out of the oven. Letting them cool for at least 10
minutes firms them up and improves their
texture.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (see figures 3 through 5)
1/2 cup currants
1 cup heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in large bowl or workbowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse 6 times.
3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender, or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. Add currants and quickly mix in or pulse one more time.
4. If making by hand, stir in heavy cream with rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds. If using food processor, remove cover and pour cream evenly over dough. Pulse until dough just starts to gather into moist, pebblelike clumps, eight to ten 1-second pulses.
5. Transfer dough and all dry floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Following figures 9 and 10, cut scones into 8 wedges. Place wedges on ungreased cookie sheet. (Baking sheet can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 hours.)
6. Bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
VARIATIONS:
Ginger Scones
A light glaze of cream and sugar gives scones an attractive sheen and sweeter flavor. If baking scones immediately after making the dough, glaze dough just before cutting it into wedges. If scones have been held in the refrigerator, apply the glaze to each wedge.
Follow master recipe, brushing tops of scones with 1 tablespoon heavy cream and then sprinkling with 1 tablespoon sugar just before baking them.
Cakey Scones
An egg changes the texture and color of the scones and helps to preserve freshness. You can keep them up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Follow master recipe, reducing butter to 4 tablespoons and cream to 3/4 cup. Add 1 large egg, lightly beaten, to dough along with cream.
Oatmeal Raisin Scones
We found that old-fashioned rolled oats produced the best oatmeal scones, with a flakier texture and more noticeable oat flavor than quick-cooking oats. Mix this dough in the food processor; the pulsing action of the blade breaks down the coarse oats and incorporates them into the dough.
Follow master recipe, making dough in food processor and substituting 1 cup rolled oats for 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. Replace currants with 3/4 cup raisins. Increase sugar to 4 tablespoons and butter to 6 tablespoons.
Glazed Scones
Follow master recipe, substituting 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger for currants.
Cranberry Orange Scones
Follow master recipe, adding 1 teaspoon grated orange zest with butter and substituting 3/4 cup dried cranberries for currants.
Lemon Blueberry Scones
Mix the dough by hand after adding the blueberries to keep the blueberries plump and whole.
Follow master recipe, adding 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest with butter and substituting 1/2 cup fresh or frozen (do not thaw) blueberries for currants.