Scones are a type of quickbread ( like biscuits) that are English in origin. Basically quickbreads don’t need yeast, hence the name. The only scones that I’ve ever tried are the ones I made a few days ago, so I’m a novice. I don’t even know what to look for in taste and texture – but I sure did enjoy eating it. The end product is cake-y and chewy – I admit, I think I overworked the batter a bit, but in my defense that’s probably the only way I can really learn restraint.
Honey and walnut have been my go-to flavor combination that blends with the scones perfectly. In my head, even if I don’t know what a proper scone should taste like…I’m looking for that texture akin to puff pastry, meaning, I’d like to see scone slightly flaky, like these, where I got the recipe from.
Scones (makes at least eight pieces; adapted from here)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup fresh milk
- ½ cup walnuts
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and walnuts and use a pastry cutter to cut it into the dry ingredients – keep working it until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the milk and use a fork (or your hands) to gently bring the mixture together. There may still be a few dry bits in the bottom of the bowl, that’s fine.
- Turn the dough out onto your work surface and divide it in half. Gently shape each piece into a disk about 1/2-inch thick. Like a pie, cut each disk into 4 or 6 pieces, depending on how big you want your scones – I did six.
- Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet. (You can bake the scones immediately, but I like to refrigerate or freeze mine briefly so the butter is really cold when it hits the oven. – THG did this)
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the scones begin to turn golden brown around the edges and are slightly firm to the touch.
- Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the scones cool for a few minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely. Drizzle with honey and more walnuts. Enjoy!