Classic Scones (Two Recipes) [Unselfish Bread Artisan]
Today we continue our breakfast series. Last time, we introduced pancakes, and this time it's scones. Two recipes are shared here because many people have concerns about baking powder and prefer not to use it. So, we provide one version with baking powder and another with yeast. Scones are very simple to make; as long as you pay attention to two points, they can have a very good texture. However, if handled improperly and the scones turn out to have a dense texture, don't worry—they are still delicious!
Ingredients
Steps
Mix low-gluten flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Place into a container.
Cut frozen butter into small chunks. The butter must be straight out of the fridge—extremely hard. Do not soften it.
Add butter to the low-gluten flour and rub it into small particles with your fingers. Do not completely break down the butter; keep some small chunks. This step is one of the key factors for soft scones. Using a kitchen processor is also highly recommended for convenience.
Pour in the milk.
Mix roughly into a dough.
Dust the chopping board with flour to prevent sticking.
Place the dough on the chopping board.
Sprinkle some flour on the dough and roll it into a round shape about 2 cm thick using a rolling pin. Avoid kneading, just form it into a rough circle and roll it out. Do not roll it too thin, ensure a certain thickness, and roll only once—even if the surface is rough. Avoid extra handling. This step is another key factor for soft scones, preserving the small chunks of butter that haven't melted.
Brush the surface with egg wash or milk and bake at 200°C for 20 minutes.
The procedures for yeast and baking powder versions are basically the same. Dissolve yeast in milk before mixing with the flour.
Combine ingredients into a dough.
Instead of using molds to shape, you can directly divide the dough into portions with a scraper. This helps avoid rolling the dough too much.
After shaping, proof the scones at 30°C for 40 minutes.
Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes.
Over-rubbing the butter or excessive handling while shaping can affect the texture of scones. (Left: Normal Right: Butter rubbed too fine or rolled too many times)
Over-rubbing the butter or excessive handling while shaping can affect the texture of scones.