Cream Scones with Mike

by | Jul 14, 2020 | Recipes

Cream Scones with Currants
Adapted from The New Best Recipe, by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated

One of Mike’s favorite breakfast baking recipes. These scones look fancy, but they’re easy to whip up quickly in the morning to wow the late risers. Delicious on their own, or smothered in your favorite jam or clotted cream.

Ingredients:

2 cups (10 oz) AP Flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup currants (see below for alternative add-ins)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla

Now You’re Cooking staff favorite add-ins:
-Mini chocolate chips w/1¼ tsp orange oil
-Chopped dried cranberries w/1¼ tsp orange oil
-Dried blueberries w/1¼ tsp lemon oil

Cutting Scones

Putting Scones into Pan

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
  2. Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Whisk together or pulse to just combine.
  3. If making by hand, use a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles couscous consistency with a few slightly larger butter lumps. If using a food processor, remove the cover and distribute the butter evenly over the dry ingredients. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Avoid overworking. Add the currants and quickly mix in or pulse one more time. Transfer the dough to a large bowl.
  4. Stir in the heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until the dough begins to form.
  5. Transfer the dough and all dry flour bits to a countertop and knead the dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, slightly sticky ball. Press the dough into an 8-inch cake pan or divide into a scone pan, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work-surface. With a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 wedges (ignore if using scone pan!). Place the wedges on an ungreased baking sheet. (The baking sheet can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before baking.) Brush the top of the scones with cream and then sprinkle each one with a little sugar.
  6. Bake until the scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool. Best eaten the day they’re baked.

Makes 8 creamy scones.

 

Scones