I have entered the world of scone making. I watched a show over the weekend on Food Network and thought, “Wow, is it really that easy?”. The word scone seemed so intimidating, as if I had to have a pastry class or two under my belt before I would be able to conquer them. After examining the ingredients I assured myself that they would not be difficult. Scones are really similar to biscuits. They actually reminded me of a mix between a biscuit and a shortbread cookie for the sweet scone that I ended up making.
After making them for the first time, I realized that any combination of ingredients could be added to the dough to achieve whatever flavor you desired. Scones can be sweet or savory depending on what you add to the mix. My first batch of scones were sweet with sugar, a bit of orange zest and cinnamon. The mix of orange and cinnamon gave it a really nice flavor combination, and the flavor was really evident in every bite.
There are two major differences I see in the recipe for a biscuit and a scone. The first is that instead of milk which is called for in a biscuit recipe, heavy whipping cream is used instead. The other difference of course for a sweet scone, is that sugar will need to be added. I would definitely leave the sugar out or use less of it if you are attempting a savory scone.
The flavor combinations that can be added to the dough are just swirling in my mind. The savory scone that continues to come to mind is ham and cheese, but I’ll have to try these out to see how well they do. I am also thinking for sweet scones that there are a number of combinations of nuts, dried fruit, and of course orange zest to create some nice flavors. I love the flavor that the orange zest adds. I am certain that flavored extracts could be added to the mix as well to achieve some really complex flavors, something like almond extract, orange zest, sliced almonds, and dried cherries. Yum! I followed the recipe from Food Network’s site almost exactly, except I did not use lemon, cherries, or almonds. I used what I had on hand, but these seem so diverse that any combination of items would seem to work.
Now on to making the scones. These are very similar to biscuits so my butter was cold and sliced into small cubes before adding to the flour mixture. I have experimented with a few different ways to combine the ingredients and have settled on two that seem to work for me. I start with a pastry blender to combine the butter and flour mixture, and end up using a fork to finish combining them before adding the wet ingredients. I continue using the fork once I add the wet ingredients and then transfer the mixture to a flat floured surface for kneading. I split the mixture into two halves and ended up with sixteen scones that were of adequate size. These are a new family favorite at my house, and so easy to do.