Cream scones

As the autumn season moves along, so many beautiful plants will hibernate for the long winter.  This hosta, shown here in early summer, is already fading and will soon be asleep until spring.  I love hostas because they're easy to grow, there are so many varieties, and they come back every spring without an issue.  Some foods have the same qualities:  easy to make, so many varieties, and every time you make them, they come out just about perfect.  Scone are one such food.  Someone recently asked me to write a short post on how I make my cream scones.  So here we go.

My cream scones take very little time and very few ingredients.  Flour, sugar, baking powder, and a little salt are whisked together in a large mixing bowl.  The more thoroughly they are whisked, the better.  Then cream is added. Yes, this is the only liquid ingredient -- no milk, no eggs, no butter, no oil, just cream.  This is mixed into the dry ingredients by hand.  I use a large serving fork which makes it very easy.  I try not to work the dough too much, but it has be thoroughly mixed.  

I prepare a 9-inch cake pan with a cut round sheet of parchment on the bottom.  I empty the dough into the pan and spread it to the edges.  Then another cut round sheet of parchment is placed over it.  I then level the whole pan of dough with the bottom of a mug, swirling it around pressed down on the parchment.  I don't bother with making it perfectly level.  I just want it to be roughly even across the disk.  The pan is then put into the freezer overnight.  

After the dough has frozen, I remove it from the pan and cut it into 10 portions.  I place these on a baking sheet with a Silpat underneath them.  I've learned from experience that simply putting them on parchment on the pan browns the bottoms too much for my taste.  Then I brush the tops of the scones with milk and sprinkle large-crystal sugar on top of each one.  They go into the oven still frozen.  There's no need to thaw them first.

30 minutes later they come out.  They are warm, a little sugary on top, and have a wonderful texture inside.  I never wrap these in plastic.  They stay open or stored in a bakery box or a bread bag.  However, I never have to store them for long because they're gone very quickly.

That's all there is to it.  The cream, the mixing and the freezing are the key things that make these scones so scrumptious.  

Have a great autumn week!