Best Perfect Scones Recipes

PERFECT SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mixing lightly with your fingers, add heavy cream just until dough holds together. Wrap in plastic and chill about 1/2 hour before rolling out.
• Butter a large baking sheet; set aside. Roll dough into a circle, 1/2 inch thick for small scones and 3/4 inch thick for larger ones. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut dough into various shapes. Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet.
• Combine egg and light cream in a small bowl; brush tops of scones with mixture. Bake until golden brown and puffed, 13 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

PERFECT SCONES

Steps:

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F. 2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six 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. Stir in currants. 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 pulse one more time. Transfer dough to large bowl. 4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds. 5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by either a) pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper (the book's suggestion) or b) patting the dough onto a lightly floured work surface into a 3/4-inch thick circle, cutting pieces with a biscuit cutter, and pressing remaining scraps back into another piece (what I did) and cutting until dough has been used up. (Be warned if you use this latter method, the scones that are made from the remaining scraps will be much lumpier and less pretty, but taste fine. As in, I understand why they suggested the first method.) 6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and 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.

PERFECT BLUEBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Adjust rack to centre of oven, and heat to 400 degrees.
• Place a piece of parchment on a baking sheet, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender, or two knives, cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of small peas.
• Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup.
• Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together.
• 5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.
• 6. Pat dough into a 8-inch square about 1 inch thick.
• Take blueberries from freezer and place them in single layer across dough, pressing lightly into dough.
• Gently fold dough in half and make sure blue berries stay inside.
• Delicately, spread dough out with floured hands to form a 6x6 square, about 1 and 1/2 inch thick.
• 7. Using a sharp knife, cut into four 3-inch squares.
• 8. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles.
• 9. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar. I like to use a coarse sugar on top.
• 10. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes.
• 11. Transfer scones from baking sheet to wire racks to cool.