How to make your best batch of scones
NORTH American biscuits resemble British scones. While scones traditionally rely on cold butter, these biscuits are most often made with fat or vegetable shortening.
(American scones are usually actually closer to British Rock cakes and their biscuits are indeed closer to our scones.)
Since the 15th century these treats, consisting of just a few simple ingredients, have wooed the world over.
Author Becky Krystal has spoken to numerous experts on the American biscuit providing detailed, professional insights that we hope will help you up your game on this old time favourite. Flour
Flour with a fine-milled texture and low-protein content (8 to 10%) leads to especially tender scones. Flour with lower protein forms less gluten when it comes into contact with liquid in the form of the water in butter, or your dairy of choice. More protein means more gluten, which means a chewier texture.
The middle-of-the-road approach is all-purpose flour (10 to 12% protein).
Bread flour’s high protein content makes it a no-go for scones. Liquid
This is where the other part of the gluten equation comes into play; just like flour, liquid will help determine tenderness.
Up to a certain extent, more water means more gluten. If you’re working with all-purpose flour, use less liquid. (A wetter dough is more suited to fluffy drop scones.)
When selecting and working with your liquid, keep these tips in mind:
For rise buttermilk’s tangy flavour and thick texture are enough to recommend it, but its acidity also gives the baking soda and/ or powder something to react with, Philip says. A more vigorous reaction means a higher rise. If you’re using milk, lemon juice can help create a similar reaction. For richness use half-andhalf.
The right mix. For tender results, use a wide bowl and stir the liquid in until it’s just incorporated. You may need to dial back the liquid if you’re in a warm, humid environment or add a bit when it’s cool or dry.
Fat
A buttery scones owes its melt-in-your mouth texture to fat, which tenderises the dough by interfering with the formation of gluten.
Lard, like shortening, is 100 percent fat. The key, however, is finding good lard.
If you’re struggling to get a tender biscuit, the answer is almost always more fat and less moisture. And don’t forget that fat can come from your liquid.
For a last touch of richness and flavour, consider brushing melted butter onto your scones as soon as they come out of the oven.
Temperature
As with all baking, management of temperature is key. Right from the beginning.
Cool ingredients. If the butter starts to melt as you’re mixing the dough, water moves into the flour, forming gluten. The goal is to keep the butter as cold as possible before the dough goes into the oven, so try refrigerating your dry ingredients and butter.
When the butter melts in the oven, it gives off steam that creates flake and lift. Chill the dough. Have a hot oven.
Even out the heat. Avoid scorching the bottoms of the biscuits by baking on a lined sheet in the upper third of the oven. Knowing whether your oven has hot or cool spots is helpful, but you can make up for them by rotating the sheet from front to back during baking.
And use the convection feature if you have one. The fan circulates hot air, helping you achieve an even bake.
Know when the scones are done. Look for a golden colour. Browning means better flavour. You need to have the kiss of the oven. 3 cups flour
1 tbs plus 1 tsp sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp salt (table)
2 cups heavy cream
2 tbs salted or unsalted butter, melted, for optional brushing
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 220ºc.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.
Microwave the cream in a microwave-safe container on high for 60 to 90 seconds, until just warmed to body temperature (35-37ºc), stirring Technique and tips
How you form and arrange your scones has as much impact as what you put in them.
Follow a recipe for starters.
Flaky or fluffy? If your goal is flaky, then folding your dough, as you would in puff pastry, is the way to go.
If you prefer a fluffy, craggy scones that you can tear apart and treat more like a dinner roll, try a drop biscuit.
Clean cuts. The sharp edges of your chef’s knife, bench scraper or biscuit cutter and a straight-down (no twisting!) cutting motion contribute to tall biscuits. Rotating my cutter caused the layers to lose their definition, leading to a squatter scone.
No matter how you get there, everyone agrees: Scones are best eaten warm out of the oven. | The Washington Post
DROP CREAM SCONES
halfway through.
Stir the warm cream into the flour mixture to form a soft, uniform dough.
Grease a 1/3-cup dry measuring cup with cooking oil spray.
Use it to drop 10 or 11 level scoops of batter 5cm apart on the baking sheet; the biscuit portions should measure about 6cm wide and 3cm high. Re-grease the measuring cup after every three or four scoops. If the portions are misshapen, use your fingertips to gently reshape the dough into level cylinders.
Bake (upper rack) for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops are light golden brown, rotating the pan from front to back half way through.
Brush the hot biscuits with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.