Like many culinary delights, the origins of scones are somewhat elusive. Historians believe scones originated in Scotland in the 16th century. Scones are kissing cousins to other flatbreads and quick breads like Bannocks.
Scones became a treasured centerpiece for Afternoon Tea, complete with finger sandwiches. We have the 7th Duchess of Bedford to thank for the popularity of Afternoon Tea. She became peckish around 4 pm, and dinner wasn’t until 8 pm. So, she began a tradition, inviting others to enjoy the hospitality.
You can think of scones as a canvas for your baking imagination. There are literally hundreds of types, including:
Apple cheddar Apricot
Bacon Banana
Blueberry Buttermilk
Caramel Cheese & chive
Cherry oat Chocolate chip
Coconut Cranberry orange
Current Date & orange
Dried fruit Garlic & onion
Gingerbread Hazelnut
Ham & cheese Honey
Lemon Oatmeal
Pineapple Poppy
Prosciutto-gorgonzola Pumpkin
Shallot Strawberry
Sweet potato Zucchini
You will fall in love with how simple these are to make.
Scones
Ingredients
- 3 c flour (with more for dusting)
- ½ c sugar
- 5 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¾ c unsalted (frozen butter)
- 1 c half and half
- 1 large egg (beaten)
Instructions
- Set the oven to 400F
- In a mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together
- Cut up the butter into small pieces
- Mix it into the dry blend until the mix is crumbly
- Whisk the egg in a bowl with the half-and-half
- Stir it into the dry mix until well incorporated.
- Lightly dust some flour on a surface
- Kneed for six turns (do not overwork). The dough should be free of cracks
- Roll the dough out so it’s ½” thick
- Cut it into eight triangular pieces
- Place parchment on a cooking sheet
- Move the scones onto the parchment, giving them plenty of room spread out.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown