King Arthur Baking's Simple Scones
Prep Time: 10m
Cooking Time: 20m
Servings: 12 scones
Gotta love recipes that are simple, flexible, AND tasty. These scoes are easy to make, and you can mix up any number of variations in a single batch of 12 scones.
Optionally, you can also make the dough ahead, and after resting it in the freezer for 30 minutes, wrap each scone individually and place them in a plastic bag for up to a month. You can cook them straight out of the freezer - just give them a few extra minutes to cook.
Ingredients
- 2¾ cup (330g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (67g) sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 8 tbsp (113g) butter, cold
- 1-2 cups chopped dried fruit, chocolate, nuts, or any combination thereof. We've done:
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips and almont flakes
- Chopped dehydrated apricots
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanlla extract (or replace with 1 tsp almond extract)
- 1/2 - 2/3 cup (113g to 152g) half-and-half or milk
Topping:
- 2 tsp milk
- 2 tbsp sugar or cinnamon-sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.
- Stir in the fruit, chips, and/or nuts, if you're using them.
If you want to make multiple sets, you'll have to split the dought and mix in your mixins at this point, and then separate the wet ingredients (step 4) equally to match.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla or other flavor, and half-and-half or milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Using a bowl scraper or a large spoon, stir the dough ingredients until all is moistened and holds together.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don't have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.
- Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Round each half into a 5" circle (if you haven't incorporated any add-ins); or a 6" circle (if you've added fruit, nuts, etc.). The circles should be about 3/4" thick.
- Using a knife or bench knife that you've run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.
- Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon-sugar.
- Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2" space between them, at their outer edges.
- For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. Chilling the scones relaxes the gluten in the flour, which makes the scones more tender and allows them to rise higher. It also chills the fat, which will make the scones a bit flakier. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the upper third.
- Bake the scones in the upper part of your oven for 18 to 23 minutes, or until they're a light golden brown. When you pull one away from the others, it should look baked all the way through; the edge shouldn't look wet or unbaked.
- Remove the scones from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm. They're delicious as is, but add butter and/or jam, if you like.
- When the scones are completely cool, wrap them in plastic and store at room temperature for up to several days. To reheat room-temperature scones, place on a baking sheet, tent lightly with foil, and warm in a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.