Is there nothing better than waking up on a frosty morning and diving into some fresh baked scones and a cup of tea? I love them for breakfast because of their not too sweet flavor and chalky mouthfeel, asking for some tart berry jam or a little devonshire cream to top them off. Using cream rather than buttermilk or regular milk keeps the scones "alive" all day. The term alive may sound weird, but have you ever eaten a day old scone? It tastes lifeless. The fat in the cream preserves the flavor and lightness of the scones for at least 12 hours after baking them...though there's no substitution for having them straight out of the oven. Enjoy!
CREAM SCONES (Makes about Twelve)
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla paste
½ cup heavy cream
For the Glaze:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F with the rack in the middle of the oven.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs, with chunks of butter the size of small peas. Combine the heavy cream, beaten egg and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined.
Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface two or three times. The more you touch the dough, the more the butter in it melts, causing it to become dense when baked, so remember to apply a light touch! Roll or pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round. Then, using a 2½ inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Or, if you're like me an for some reason don't have a 2 ½ inch cookie cutter, cut the dough into triangles of your desired size. Place the scones on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper or silicon sheep, spacing a few inches apart. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg and cream mixture. This helps to brown the tops of the scones during baking.
Bake for about 16 - 18 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with Devonshire cream and your favorite jam.
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