5. scone versus scone
British Plain rivals American Sugar
In case you missed last week’s Kitchen Diaries post, check it out here.
The first time I ever made scones they were dry as the Sahara and hard as a rock. You could use them as weaponry in war.
Last Friday, I faced my baking foe once again. Except I made the American version. American scones have been vilified by the Brits. They denounce them for their high sugar content, dense texture, and inclusion of ingredients you might find in other baked goods such as spices, fruits, nuts, chocolate, fresh berries. Someone once described the American version as “Dry bland ass triangles of nothing. Need like a gallon of liquid to eat one.”
The debate and hostility is very well alive when it comes to the topic of scones.
American scones also have a higher ratio of fat-to-flour than British scones do. One of the biggest different between the two is the butter. A true British scone isn’t that buttery or sugary. In fact, it’s fairly plain since you add on cream and jam. British scones are made with sugar and dried fruit in the ingredients, although scone purists would argue against including fruit commits a sin.
The pronunciation is another major discussion, set to put the ‘pineapple on pizza’ debate to shame. Half the people say “scone” and half say “scawn” and no matter which way you say it, several people will always think you’re being pretentious. There’s no way to win.
There’s this whole other chat about what a biscuit is. Our scones are their biscuits which pair with something savoury like gravy. It’s a whole other topic to get into
Anyhoo - recipe below. A perfect treat to pair with your coffee in the morning or tea in the afternoon!
Bon Appetit!
Blueberry Scones
Ingredients
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour plus more for hands and work surface
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick; 115g) unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream or buttermilk (plus 2 tbsp for brushing)
1 large egg
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1–1.5 cup of blueberries
Coarse sugar for topping (optional, but recommended for a nice crunch).
Method
Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Slice the softened butter into cubes. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a two forks or place it into a food processor and blend until you get nice crumbs.
Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream (or buttermilk), the egg, and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Make a well in the flour, drizzle over the flour mixture, add the add-ins, then mix together until everything appears moistened.
To make triangle scones: Pour onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a ball as best you can. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more tablespoons heavy cream. Press into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges.
Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. (You can do this before or after refrigerating in the next step.)
Place scones on a plate or lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 204°C.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.After refrigerating, arrange scones 2-3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet(s).
Bake for 18-26 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. Larger scones take closer to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes.
Leftover scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
If you have any cookbook or recipe suggestions? My DMs are always open @natcrx or let’s chat in the comments below!