Pronounced like ‘gone’, not like ‘bone’. (Though I promise note to scoff if you pronounce it like the latter.) Either way, I don’t really take issue with the way people choose to call it. Instead, I rally against what most people think of as scones.
Dried Cranberry Scones
Scones, in the US at least, tend to fall into one of two categories. The first can be identified as the overly sweet, cakey desserts sold in overpriced coffee shops. The second type are the wedge shaped triangles that are so hard that they can be used to drive nails into a wall. Either variety may be so chock full of nuts, berries, or other things that they resemble trail mix wrapped in bread. Somewhere along the way the real scone was lost.
Scones should be slightly flaky, have a moist interior, and be made with plenty of butter or even cream. The fattiness and moisture is what helps keep a proper scone tender. The dough itself is folded a few times, but not overworked to get flaky layers of biscuit-like texture.
Though these scones were largely a success, I’ll have to make them again. I presented these to my family and though they were very much enjoyed, my father took issue with the chosen shape. The scones he was familiar with back in England were traditionally round, not triangular. He also claimed that he did not remember his mother using cream in the dough. The only way to settle this is to find a recipe my father has tucked away in the house somewhere and make those. We may have to wait a while for the results as I may not be back home in a while, but you can be sure the result will be documented here.
Dried Cranberry Scones.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, refrigerated
4 1/4 cups unbleached AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter. Press the butter into the flour with your fingertips to make large flakes. Add the cream and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Then add the dried fruit and stir to combine. Continue stirring/kneading in the bowl until the dough clumps together as one. You can do this on a counter-top if you find it easier.
3. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured counter to make a long rectangle (approx. 8×12x1 inches). Fold the dough into thirds and repeat two or three more times. Work quickly, the dough will stick as it warms up. I usually put it on a baking sheet in the fridge to buy some time between each time I roll it out. This keeps the dough cold and workable.
4. To make rectangles, roll the dough out to approximately 8×12x1 in. Trim edges if needed to strighten the dough and cut lengthwise down the center to make two 4×12x1 lengths of dough. Cut each portion into triangles about 3×4x5 inches, each length should make about 8 pieces.
5. Bake the scones for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges and top turn golden brown. Rotate the scones after about 10 minutes. Err on the side of under baking if necessary. They can always be reheated in the oven.
The scones keep very well frozen if well wrapped. Simply reheat for 6-10 minutes in a 350F oven.
Dried Cranberry Scones.
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