I am a scone fiend. I never used to like them – the reputation of being dry, crumbly, and flavorless didn’t entice me to try them – until we went to visit a friend in Oxford and I convinced my husband to take me to high tea. And I had scones with clotted cream and was instantly converted.
I now make scones every chance I get. Spelt scones with currants. Quince scones. Oat scones. Chocolate peanut butter scones. And now: cinnamon honey scones.
The more I eat these (lots of little bites are healthier than eating a whole scone, right?), the more they remind me of my favorite bakery item from Cologne: the locally famous Zimt Wuppi. These are so similar, in fact, that I will no longer consider them scones and instead give myself the opportunity to make both Wuppis and scones at my next brunch 🙂
These scones do require time – there’s a good 6 hours of cooling/freezing time in the recipe, so make the batter the night before and bake them straight from the freezer.
The only change I made in the recipe was substituting plain Greek yogurt for the creme fraiche. Partly because I didn’t have any creme fraiche and if I asked my husband to go to the store (again!) to buy me some, I would have had a revolution on my hands. And partly because there are an awful lot of things called creme fraiche at the Delhaize so I never know what to pick. (A quick wikipedia search just informed me that French-speaking countries have both liquid and thicker (fermented) creme fraiche, with the liquid just being plain old heavy cream.)
Also, these make relatively large scones. They grow a lot in the oven. That’s not a bad thing, but if you go overboard with the baked goods at brunch like I do, I would recommend making them half the size and freezing half the dough (for up to 1 month, according to the recipe) to be cooked another morning.
Cinnamon Honey Scones
From Bouchon Bakery
Yield: 12 scones
For this variation on the plain scone, we make a cinnamon honey butter that we chill, then dice and mix into the dough, almost as if it were currants or nuts. The butter pieces both flavor and enrich the dough and give it some visually appealing streaks. We finish the scones with a honey butter glaze.
Ingredients:
Cinnamon Honey Cubes
30 grams (3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
30 grams (2 1/2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
4 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
30 grams (1 ounce) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
20 grams (1 tablespoon) clover honey
Plain Scone Dough
152 grams (1 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
304 grams (2 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons) cake flour
12.5 grams (2 1/2 teaspoons) baking powder
2.5 grams (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
91 grams (1/4 cup + 3 1/2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
227 grams (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
135 grams (1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons) heavy cream
135 grams (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) creme fraiche
Honey Butter Glaze
45 grams (3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) clarified butter (see below)
20 grams (1 tablespoon) clover honey
Directions:
For the cinnamon honey cubes:
Place the flour in a medium bowl. Sift in the sugar and cinnamon and whisk to combine. Toss in the butter cubes, coating them in the dry mixture. Using your fingertips, break up the butter until there are no large visible pieces. Using a spatula, mix in the honey to form a smooth paste.
Press the paste into a 4-inch square on a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and freeze until solid, about 2 hours (the paste can be frozen for up to 1 week).
For the scones:
Place the all-purpose flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and sift in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and granulated sugar. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest setting for about 15 seconds to combine. Stop the mixer, add the butter, and, on the lowest setting, (to keep the flour from flying out of the bowl), pulse to begin incorporating the butter. Increase the speed to low and mix for about 3 minutes to break up the butter and incorporate it into the dry mixture. If any large pieces of butter remain, stop the mixer, break them up by hand, and mix just until incorporated.
With the mixer running, slowly pour in the cream. Add the creme fraiche and mix for about 30 seconds, until all of the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough comes together around the paddle. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle and pulse again to combine.
But the butter paste into 1/4-inch cubes. Once the dough is mixed, remove the bowl from the mixer and mix in the cubes by hand. They may begin to break up a bit in the dough; that’s okay. Mound the dough on the work surface and, using the heel of your hand or a pastry scraper, push it together. Place the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and, using your hands, press it into a 7 1/2-by-10-inch block, smoothing the top. Press the sides of your hands against the sides of the dough to straighten the edges. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours, until firm.
Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Using a chef’s knife or a bicycle cutter, cut the block of dough lengthwise into thirds and then crosswise into quarters. Arrange the scones on a prepared sheet pan, leaving space between them. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until frozen solid, at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. (The scones can remain in the freezer for up to 1 month.)
Preheat the oven to 325F (convection) or 350F (standard). Line a sheet pan with a Silpat or parchment paper.
Arrange the frozen scones 1 inch apart on the sheet pan. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes in a convection oven, 28 to 30 minutes in a standard oven, until golden brown.
For the glaze: Stir the butter and honey together in a butter warmer or a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter has melted and combined with the honey.
As soon as you remove the scones from the oven, brush the tops with the glaze. Set the sheet pan on a cooling rack and cool completely.
The scones are best the day they are baked, but they can be stored in a covered container for 1 day.
Clarified Butter
I was feeling very lazy and just used regular butter melted with honey for the glaze. To make clarified butter:
Melt 453 grams (1 pound) unsalted butter in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat, without stirring. When the butter has melted, it will have separated into three layers: Skim off and discard the foamy layer of milk solids on top. The clear liquid beneath it is the clarified butter. Carefully pour it into a container, leaving the milky residue behind. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate or freeze.
Makes 285 grams (1 1/2 cups).