Currant Scones
Variations: Dried Cranberry Scones Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
Makes twelve to sixteen 4- by 1 1/2-inch-high scones
These scones are ample, warm, and comforting -- crisp on the outside, soft, moist, and layered
inside with purely butter/flour flavor and just the right touch of sweet stickiness from the
currants. I've tried many other recipes and discarded them all. These are the best. They are
prepared by layering butter flakes into the dough much in the style of puff pastry, which gives the
dough a slightly flaky texture, but since they contain only about one third butter to flour (in
contrast to puff pastry, which employs equal parts) and heavy cream instead of water, they offer a
far more substantial, soul-satisfying texture. If you want each scone to be a perfect even triangle,
there will be some wasted. Personally, I prefer to use every scrap of the delicious dough and
embrace the rustic misshapen ones along with the more even variety.
Oven Temperature: 400 degrees F Baking Time: 15 to 20 minutes Internal Temperature: 200 degrees F
Equipment: Two cookie sheets or inverted half-size sheet pans, lined with parchment
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold (8 ounces/227 grams) About 4 cups unbleached all-purpose
flour, preferable Hecker's (21.25 ounces/608 grams)
1/2 cup sugar (3.5 ounces/100 grams) 2 teaspoons baking powder (9.8 grams)
2/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt 2 liquid cups heavy cream (16.3 ounces/464 grams) 1 cup currants (4.6
ounces/131 grams)
Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes or freeze them for
10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the
butter and, with your fingertips, press the cubes into large flakes. (Or use an electric mixer on
low speed and mix until the butter is the size of small walnuts.)
Mix in the cream just until the flour is moistened and the dough starts to come together in large
clumps. Mix in the currants. Knead the dough in the bowl just until it holds together and turn it
out onto a lightly floured board.
Lightly flour the top of the dough, or use a rolling pin with a floured pastry sleeve, and roll out
the dough into a rectangle 1 inch thick and about 8 inches by 12 inches. Use a bench scraper to keep
the edges even. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter. Lightly flour the board and rotate
the dough so that the smooth side faces to the left. Roll it out again to an 8- by 12-inch rectangle
and repeat the "turn" 3 times (for a total of 4 turns), refrigerating the dough, covered with
plastic wrap, for about 15 minutes if it begins to soften and stick.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the middle
level before preheating. Roll out the dough once more and trim off the folded edges so that it will
rise evenly.* Cut it lengthwise in half so you have 2 pieces, each about 4 inches by 12 inches. Cut
each piece of dough on the diagonal to form triangles with about a 3-inch-wide base and place them
about 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. (The dough rises but does not expand sideways.)
Bake the scones for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and the tops are golden brown
and firm enough so that they barely give when pressed lightly with a finger. Check the scones after
10 minutes of baking, and if they are not baking evenly, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom
and front to back. Do not overbake, as the scones continue baking slightly after removal from the
oven and are best when slightly moist and soft inside.
Place a linen towel on each of two large racks and place the baked scones on top. Fold the towels
over loosely and allow the scones to cool until warm or room temperature. (Since linen breathes, the
scones will not become soggy, but they will have enough protection to keep from becoming dry and
hard on the surface.)
VARIATIONS
Dried Cranberry Scones The same amount of dried cranberries can be substituted for the currants for
more tang.
Lemon Poppy Seed Scones Omit the currants and add 3 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) poppy seeds and 2
tablespoons (0.5 ounce/12 grams) finely grated lemon zest to the flour mixture.
STORE: Airtight, room temperature, up to 2 days; frozen, up to 3 months. To reheat frozen scones,
heat in a preheated 300 degree F. oven for 20 minutes. A cake tester inserted in the center and
removed will feel warm and the outside will be crunchy.
UNDERSTANDING
Hecker's flour has a protein content somewhere between that of Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose and
King Arthur all-purpose, which is slightly higher. Any of the three flours will produce excellent
scones, but Hecker's is my preference because it results in the best compromise between tenderness
and flakiness. A slightly stronger flour can be used for scones than for puff pastry because the
sugar and baking powder tenderize the dough.
SOURCE: "The Pie and Pastry Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum, Scribners & Sons, New York
baking911recipes.com
FROM ANN IN FLA
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