The Scone Ranger

When I was first approached by a local Bistro to supply scones for their cafe menu I didn't know how to make them. My husband had to teach me the night before I was to bring in tasting samples. Also, I had never made gluten free anything at that point and the owner, being a celiac, requested I include non-glutenous scones in the sampler. I was up for the challenge.

I found a recipe from a reliable source and modified it slightly for both gluten and gluten-free scones. It took a little adjusting and testing of gluten free flours before I got the right texture. But eventually I landed on the right combo.

Since then I have made thousands of regular and gluten free scones based on this recipe (for the Bistro, farmer's market and private orders). And not just your typical plain vanilla scones. I've tried to incorporate flavor trends from champagne and strawberries to rosewater and pistachio to pumpkin to jasmine poached peaches and thyme. And let's not forget savory wonders like brown butter bacon date and brown butter bacon pear and Gruyere...well let's just say brown butter bacon anything is a feast for the senses. I'm still working on the champagne and strawberries scone recipe, but I am very close.

My mission was to broaden the palates in our community. With a popular mass manufactured pastry franchise around the corner I wanted to bring something other than the usual to town. Sometimes I sold out, sometimes not. I am, however, hugely grateful for the Bistro for giving me creative license to explore new flavors and to the town for their willingness to try them.

Below is the basic scone recipe and then a few variations. I will post more variations at a later time.

REGULAR SCONES

To do:
Preheat your oven to about 360 degrees F. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
whisk together:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake/pastry flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder (fresh, opened within the last month)
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

In a measuring cup whisk together:
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use whole milk yogurt)
1 egg room temp (for room temp: place egg in small bowl and cover with hot water, let stand for 2 minutes)
1 tsp vanilla

*optional: sanding sugar and egg wash (1 egg, whisked)

Take dry ingredients and cut in one stick (1/2 cup) of cold unsalted butter (either by food processor, or pastry cutter or by hand...it's best to touch it as little as possible so the butter remains cold).

 The texture should be sandy and mealy. Pour into bowl.

Pour wet mix on top and stir in with fork.

from pumpkin scone recipe - the base recipe would not be orange!

Don't over work it, just until all the wet is mixed in...should have some crumbly bits left at the bottom of the bowl. If you find it's still too dry, add a little more yogurt or heavy cream to help.

Dump out mix onto a lightly floured surface. gently work in any crumbly bits. Form dough into an 7-8" disc and cut into 8 pie-like portions.

Place on parchment on cookie sheet.
*brush egg wash (one egg whisked) on top and add sanding sugar*
Bake for 20-ish minutes. Should be golden around edges and a little golden on top.

Garnish how you wish. Some scone recipes, instead of sanding with sugar, I will add melted Belgian white chocolate after they are baked and cooled, like the pumpkin scones shown here:

 And White chocolate Pistachio Rose scones here:

GLUTEN FREE

Substitute all purpose flour and cake flour with 2 cups El Peto all purpose gluten free flour. This is the only flour I have found that seems to directly substitute without having to find multiple flours and emulsifiers.

Use the rest of the ingredients as per regular scones and follow the same process. Though use the gluten free all purpose flour to "flour" your work surface and hands. The dough will be stickier* and should be a little more moist than the regular scone recipe, but this will help give it the texture you want when they are baked. Just dust a little more gluten free flour on top of the dough when you dump it out the on the floured surface. And flour your hands as needed.

*Also note that a stickier dough makes it difficult to stir in squishy fruits like raspberries and blueberries without crushing them.

VARIATIONS (work with both regular and gluten free scone base)

Brown Butter Bacon Date

To do:

1. Place 8 slices of bacon on a foiled cookie sheet and bake in the oven on 400 F until crispy.Place on paper towel and while still hot crush into tiny bits.
2. Take half of your stick of butter and place in a sauce pan and cook it on low-medium heat until the milk solids have browned (not blackened). Place in fridge until re-solidifies.
3. Chop 1 cup of dried dates (or fresh is amazingly delicious if you can get your hands on fresh dates)
4. Substitute brown sugar instead of regular sugar
5. Follow directions above until it comes time to cut in the butter. Cut up the remaining half stick of butter and then add the browned half into the food processor (or cutting in by hand).
6. before adding the wet to the dry, add the bacon and dates to the dry and pour the wet over top and mix, disc, cut, egg wash (with out sanding sugar) and bake as directed.

Lemon Strawberry

To do:

1. Wash/scrub 1 lemon (organic preferred)
2. Follow dry ingredients adding the zest of the whole lemon into the dry ingredients
3. Continue with cutting in butter.
4. add 1 cup chunk chopped strawberries to dry
5. pour wet over top and mix, disc, cut, egg wash/sanding sugar and bake as directed.

 Caramel Apple

To do:

1. In a saucepan add 
1. 4 cups chopped apple,
2. 4 tbs brown sugar
3. 1 tbs cinnamon
2. cook on low-medium heat until apples are soft and liquid is reduced to thick and caramel-like. Set aside
3. Follow scone base wet and dry directions as above. Add 1 cup of caramel apple mixture to dry ingredients and pour wet over top.
4. Mix, disc, cut, egg wash/sugar, bake as directed.

Chai Pear

 To do:

1. Add to dry ingredients:
1. 1/4 tsp ground cloves
2. 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3. 1 tsp cinnamon
4. 1 tsp ground ginger
5. 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
6. 1/4 tsp ground all spice
7. 1/4 tsp black pepper
8. 1/4 tsp ground coriander
2. Peel and rough chop pear so you have 1 cup chopped. Set aside
3. Cut in butter to dry ingredients
4. Add pear to dry.
5. Pour wet on top, mix, disc, cut, egg wash/sugar, bake as directed.

Jasmine Poached Peach and Fresh Thyme

 To Do:

1. Place in-season peach in saucepan and cover with water.
1. add 3 jasmine green tea tea bags (or 3 tbs loose tea)
2. bring to a soft boil
3. Poach until peach is soft and skin easily peels off.
4. Remove from water, let cool.
2. Add  cup honey to jasmine peach water and reduce to 1/4 cup or until quite thick and syrupy. (will take some time) Set aside.
3. Follow scone wet and dry ingredients directions minus the sugar as above.
4. Add 2 tsp fresh thyme to dry ingredients
5. Cut in butter
6.  Add 1/4 cup reduced jasmine peach honey syrup to wet ingredients and whisk.
7. Slice and chop poached peach and put on dry ingredients.
8. Pour wet over dry and mix, disc, cut, egg wash/sugar, bake as directed above.

 Brown Butter Bacon Pear Gruyere

To do:

1. Place 8 slices of bacon on a foiled cookie sheet and bake in the oven on 400 F until crispy. Place on paper towel and while still hot crush into tiny bits.
2. Take half of your stick of butter and place in a sauce pan and cook it on low-medium heat until the milk solids have browned (not blackened). Place in fridge until re-solidifies.
3. Peel and chop pear so you have 1 cup chopped, set aside. 
4. Grate Gruyere so you have 1/2 cup.
5. Follow directions above until it comes time to cut in the butter. Cut up the remaining half stick of butter and then add the browned half into the food processor (or cutting in by hand).
6. before adding the wet to the dry, add the bacon and pear and Gruyere to the dry and pour the wet over top and mix, disc, cut, egg wash (with out sanding sugar) and bake as directed.