FoodMayhem

I love scones and so do my friends, but it seems, everyone likes a different type of scone. I’m not talking about flavors, although I’m sure everyone has flavor preferences too. I’m talking more about the texture, the crumb, the moisture, the density.

I know what I like. My favorite scones are the ones from Our Daily Bread, and I’m pretty fond of the ones at Alice’s Tea Cup as well. So when I started looking for a scone recipe, I found tons of well rated ones, all very different, all with reviews saying things like, “best scones…” and I was at a loss. Knowing that there are such varying tastes on scones, I decided to test out several different recipes, in hopes of two results: 1. I hope to divine the ultimate recipe for the way I like scones. 2. I hope that through my testing and reporting, you’ll get closer to finding your favorite recipe, without having to make quite as many versions as I have.

Today, I started with three scones recipes, one made with milk, one with heavy cream, and one with buttermilk. I know this would be way more scientific if I used the exact same recipes only varying the milk/cream/buttermilk, but I really don’t want to be eating the same flavor all day long so, this is what you’re getting. The different flavors should not affect the texture too much so lessons will still be learned, and that’s enough for me.

1. The first recipe uses milk.

Blueberry Vanilla Sugar Scones
~adapted from a basic recipe

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup vanilla sugar + 2 teaspoons for sprinkling
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries

Instructions-

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter. Mix the egg and milk in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture with blueberries until moistened.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat dough out into a 3/4 inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedges, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar.
   

Lon really likes this one. It’s fluffy and light, very moist, soft and delicate.

2. The next one, Miniature Cream Scones with Currants, is from epicurious and uses heavy cream. They also differ in size and use cake flour. (Note: The recipe says to bake for 15-18 minutes but it was done in 10 minutes.)

This one is also light, but in a drier and airy way. It makes sense that scones are meant to be eaten with tea.

3. The Chocolate Chip Scones are also from epicurious and use buttermilk. I had to use the 1/2% milk fat buttermilk because that’s all they sell at Trader Joe’s. (Note: this one approximates baking time at 20 minutes, but it will likely be over-done by then. Check at 15 minutes. Mine was done at 17 minutes.)

These stronger scones are the closest to my favorites so far. They have a soft yet denser inside that feels a little more substantial. The crumbly outside is a nice contrast. The whole is so comforting.

My only fear is that the chocolate may actually be influencing this batter (different from dried fruits because it melts into the batter) so I will likely try another version of this with another flavor, and not chocolate.

Tomorrow, I will also be testing recipes with sour cream and yogurt. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. I will try to cover as much as possible.

Continue to Getting to Know Scones: Part 2.