Classic English Scones— Crisp Outside, Flaky Inside Use Big Chunks of Cold Butter, Barely Mixed In, for the Ideal Texture

Classic English Scones— Crisp Outside, Flaky Inside Use big chunks of cold butter, barely mixed in, for the ideal texture

BY JACQUIE LEE

y mother was half Chinese and my father Mwas English, so naturally teatime was important in my parents’ home. Tea-drinking in our family, however, was nothing compared with the tea rituals I experienced while visiting my grandmother in England. She would sit, rather regally, taking indi- vidual orders for tea, a silver pot of extra-hot water standing ready. But more important to me, she served scones. My passion for this crisp-tender teacake began at my grandmother’s table but was fueled by my later travels around England. From Salmon Leap in Devon, where I devoured marvelous round scones with straw- berry jam and clotted cream, to ultra-upscale Harrod’s in London, where the scones are served with a side order of pomp and ceremony, I tasted enough scones to develop my own idea of the perfect scone.

JUDGING A PROPER SCONE I always like to see what other bakeries have to offer, and I’m continually amazed at what’s passed off as a scone. For me, a scone should be crispy outside and ﬂaky inside; it should not have a cakey texture. Also, I prefer scones cut into triangles, probably because they’re less likely to be confused with American- style biscuits.

THIS QUICK DOUGH HAS THREE BASIC PARTS: FLOUR, BUTTER, AND A BUTTERMILK BINDER Scones are made from a few simple, basic ingredients, but it’s the way those ingredients are worked together that makes the difference between an ordinary scone and one that’s exceptional. The key to flaky scones is to mix the dough as little as possible, keeping the butter in large chunks. Almost any flour will do. The basic scone recipe (see p. 50) requires no special flours; I’ve eaten wonderful scones made with all-purpose flour. But because Teacakes with a pedigree. These light, flaky scones are perfect as part of a traditional after- baking is my business, I prefer to use a blend of organic,

noon tea or as a light breakfast with a rich cup of coffee. unbleached bread and pastry ﬂours. In particular, I like Photos: Martha Holmberg. Illustration: Gary Hovland

48 FINE COOKING Copyright © 1995 - 2007 The Taunton Press Large chunks of butter in the dough make the ﬂakiest scone. Don’t overmix the dough or your scones will be tough. Stop Chill your butter ahead of time and work quickly to keep the the paddle when the dough just begins to pull away from the chunks from being totally incorporated into the dough. sides of the bowl.

to bake with Giustos flours (available from Bob’s Red Mill, 503/654-3215), a brand of organic of flours that Scone, scon, scoon—how do you say it? I believe makes the lightest and flakiest scones. Blend- ing bread flour and pastry flour helps me further fine- tune the dough’s strength and tenderness. It can be fun to try several different kinds of bread and pastry flour and see the characteristics each contributes. For the best flavor, nothing beats unsalted butter. I’ve tried many scone recipes that use vege- table shortening or lard, but I always come back to unsalted butter. The butter’s flavor is an important part of the scone’s rich taste. It’s also the ingredient responsible for the scone’s crisp, flaky texture. Chilling the butter—and keeping it chilled—is a critical step towards a great scone: you want it to remain in fairly large pieces and not get squashed into the flour as you mix. When the scones are thrust into a very hot oven, the butter will melt and bubble its way through the dough, leaving lots of little crevices in its wake. A young English friend in a working-class family, scone for the working Buttermilk holds it all together. I make my of mine claims that when- and we pronounced class, scon for the upper scones with buttermilk because I like the tangy taste; ever he hears scone pro- it with the long ‘o.’ class, and scoon for the besides, with all the butter in the scones, the fat in nounced with a long “o,” To pronounce it scon royal family. ordinary milk isn’t needed. What is important is that like own, his whole body was considered very With that tantalizing you don’t overmix the dough when you add the begins to shudder. He hoity-toity.” but inconclusive bit buttermilk. This can be a hard call if you’ve never says that it’s correctly pro- Later I was reminded of information, choose made scones before. The difference in flours and cli- nounced scon. So as not that the Stone of Scone— your own, on, or oon mates and how the liquid is absorbed by the dry in- to cause him bodily harm, the chunk of rock that pronunciation and start gredients can make the critical moment difficult to I tried for some time to forms the base of the baking. judge. Just remember that when you add the liquid, shorten up my “o”. Coronation Chair in West- —Brinna Sands, vice you should mix just until the dough starts to pull Then I heard from minster Abbey—is pro- president of Sands, Taylor away from the sides of the bowl. If not all of the flour another English friend nounced scoon. So, it & Wood, producers of King is getting moist, add a little more liquid. who said, “I grew up would appear that it’s Arthur Flour A crust of coarse sugar. I paint the tops of the scones with a little more buttermilk before giving them a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. The large, unrefined grains of this sugar give the scones a really crisp top. You can find turbinado sugar at many natural- and specialty-food stores. Substitute ordinary sugar for the turbinado if you like; the tops just won’t be as crunchy.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1995 49 Copyright © 1995 - 2007 The Taunton Press Use lightly floured fingers to gently pat the dough into a disk. Cut the disk into quarters and then again into eighths. Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t look smooth—a rough, lumpy Triangles are the traditional shape for scones, but you can dough means tender, flaky scones. shape the dough any way you please.

CURRANTS, CRANBERRIES, CHERRIES, frozen blueberries; just don’t defrost them or they’ll AND OTHER ACCENT FLAVORS become mushy and you’ll have purple scones. Currants are a traditional favorite, but there are endless variations on the basic scone. You can add FREEZE LEFTOVER SCONES dried cranberries or dried cherries—simply add a If you have any leftover scones, freeze them. Thaw half cup or so to the recipe. Grated citrus zest (par- them completely and reheat at 350°F for about ticularly orange) lends a wonderful fragrance. seven minutes. Served with a bit of tea to get the Bittersweet chocolate bits make a delicious—if un- day started or as an afternoon respite, however, traditional—scone. Or, for an even racier scone, your freshly baked scones probably won’t be around try a combination of orange zest and chocolate. long enough to have any leftovers. Add dried fruit and flavorings after the butter and Baking out the butter. before the liquid. Orange-Scented English Scones Though these scones Fresh blueberries are also delicious in scones, Add 1⁄2 cup dried currants, dried cranberries, dried will still be very rich, a but because fresh fruits are moist and tend to cherries, bits of chocolate, or fresh blueberries to create hot oven will cause clump together in the dough, dust them with a a variety of scones. Yields 8 medium scones. some of the butter to little flour before mixing them into the dough. As 8 oz. (13⁄4 cups) all-purpose flour (or 1 cup organic ooze, leaving behind with the dried fruit, add the blueberries after the bread flour plus 3⁄4 cup organic pastry flour) lots of crispy crevices. butter and before the buttermilk. You can use 2 tsp. baking powder 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt 1 Tbs. sugar Grated zest of 1 medium orange 4 oz. (8 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄3-inch cubes 3⁄4 cup buttermilk 2 Tbs. turbinado sugar (optional) Heat the oven to 400°F. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix in the orange zest. Add the butter and mix just until coated with flour. The butter chunks should remain fairly large—no less than half their original size. With the mixer set on a slow speed, add 2⁄3 cup of the buttermilk and mix until just absorbed. Stop mixing when the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Scrape the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball. With well-floured fingers, pat the dough into a 7-inch- diameter disk. Cut the disk into quarters and then again into eighths. Set the scones on a baking sheet lined with kitchen parchment and brush the tops with the remain- ing buttermilk. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake until well browned, about 15 to 20 min.

Traditional English scones are regularly on the menu at The Garden Bakery in Ukiah, California, which Jacquie Lee co-owns and operates. The café’s namesake garden is the site of many relaxing afternoon teas. •