Makes: 8 to 10
Time: About 40 minutes
A proper English scone is all about refinement; it’s rich but not too sweet and eaten simply with jam and clotted cream. (If you can find clotted cream, great. If not, use sour cream, crème fraîche, or even whipped cream.) Be delicate with the dough to maintain its light texture. If you have a food processor, just pulse the ingredients together and you’re done.
1. Heat the oven to 450°F. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture, breaking it into tiny pieces with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
2. Add the egg and just enough cream to form a slightly sticky dough. If the dough is very sticky, add a tiny bit of flour; the dough should still stick to your hands a little.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice, then press it into a ¾-inch-thick circle; cut into 2-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or a glass. Put the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet. Gently reshape the leftover dough and cut again. Brush the top of each scone with a bit of cream and sprinkle with a little of the remaining sugar.
4. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until the scones are light golden brown. Serve immediately, preferably with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
WHOLE WHEAT OATMEAL SCONES If light and delicate isn’t your thing, try this heartier version: Substitute 1¼ cups whole wheat flour for the cake flour. Add ¾ cup rolled oats to the flour mixture.
ORANGE-CARAWAY SCONES Before adding the cream, mix 1 tablespoon caraway seeds and 1 tablespoon grated orange zest into the flour mixture.
GOAT CHEESE AND DILL SCONES Before adding the cream, mix ½ cup crumbled goat cheese and ½ cup chopped fresh dill into the flour mixture.
WALNUT SCONES Whisk ¼ cup ground toasted walnuts into the flour. Substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar. Add a touch more cream to the dough if necessary.
LEMON-YOGURT SCONES The flaky English scone is the perfect canvas for citrus and a dollop of Macerated Fruit: Substitute yogurt for the cream. Stir 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest into the yogurt before adding it to the flour mixture.
RHUBARB SCONES Combine 1 cup chopped rhubarb stalks with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir into the flour mixture before adding the cream.