Tillie Doyle
Scones are a delightful treat, but many home bakers are unsure how to achieve the perfect texture and taste without the use of a scone pan. The key to success is in the preparation and temperature control. By keeping the dough as cold as possible, the butter creates pockets of air as it melts, resulting in flaky, moist, and crumbly scones. Chilling the shaped scones before baking prevents over-spreading and ensures a consistent texture. Additionally, the dough can be shaped by hand or with a cutter, baked on a lined baking sheet, and flavoured with a variety of add-ins like chocolate chips, berries, or cheese and herbs.
Baking scones without a scone pan
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, butter, egg, vanilla extract, buttermilk, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate |
| Oven temperature | 350°F-425°F |
| Baking time | 12-25 minutes |
| Dough preparation | Combine dry ingredients, cut in butter, mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl, add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mix, knead, cut into wedges |
| Dough temperature | Keep dough cold at all times |
| Refrigeration | Refrigerate dough for at least 15 minutes before baking, can be refrigerated overnight |
| Freezing | Can be frozen for up to 1 month, add 2 minutes to baking time if baking from frozen |
| Glazing | Wait for at least 10 minutes before adding glaze |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Use a baking sheet or pan lined with parchment paper
If you don't have a scone pan, you can use a baking sheet or pan lined with parchment paper. This will help to avoid the bottoms of your scones getting too dark. It is important to keep your scone dough as cold as possible to prevent over-spreading, so make sure to use cold ingredients and keep the dough in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
To prepare your baking sheet or pan, line it with parchment paper. Then, cut your butter into small pieces and put it in the refrigerator to stay cold. Measure out the rest of your ingredients. Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl, including flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or fork until the butter is the size of large peas. In a separate bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients, such as buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract.
Once you have prepared your dough, transfer it to a floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal parts and lightly knead each part into a 3/4-inch thick, 6-inch diameter round. Cut each round into 8 wedges and place them on your prepared baking sheet or pan, spacing them about 2 inches apart. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the unbaked scones overnight, or freeze them for up to a month.
When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400°F or 425°F, depending on your recipe. You can also place the baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking to prevent the scones from spreading too much. Brush the scones with cream, milk, or egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown.
Pan's Age in DBGT: A Mystery Unveiled
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Keep the dough cold and prevent over-spreading
Keeping the dough cold is essential to prevent over-spreading. Chilling the shaped scones in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before baking is recommended. You can even refrigerate the dough overnight. This will ensure that your scones will not spread too much.
Using cold ingredients such as cold heavy cream, egg, and butter is crucial. Frozen grated butter is the key to success. The finer the pieces of cold butter, the less the scones will spread. You can cube and then freeze the butter before assembling the dough. Cold butter will melt in the oven, and the water content will evaporate as steam. As the steam escapes, it creates a flaky, fluffy texture.
Additionally, placing the sheet pan with the shaped scones in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking can further prevent over-spreading. This extra step ensures that the scones will not spread too much and allows the oven to preheat fully.
It is also important to avoid overworking the dough. The heat from your hands can warm up the dough, so it is best to work quickly and gently when handling it. Overworked dough can lead to tough, dense scones instead of the desired flaky, moist texture.
Copper Chef Pans: Non-Reactive and Ready to Sizzle
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Cut into wedges or use cookie cutters
You can cut your scones into wedges or use cookie cutters to form fun shapes. If you want to cut your scones into wedges, pat the dough into a circle and cut it into triangles, like you would a pizza. You can use a sharp chef's knife or a dough cutter for this.
If you want to use cookie cutters, first roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface. Then, dip your cutter into some flour and stamp out your scones. You can use any shape cookie cutter you like, or even use a glass or a mug if you don't have a cookie cutter. If you're making a lot of scones, you may need to re-roll the dough scraps to get more scones.
You can also get creative with your scone shapes without using cookie cutters. Some people like to pull off chunks of dough, roll them into balls, and then squash them down. This method produces rustic-looking scones that some prefer to perfectly cut ones.
Remember, it's important to keep your scone dough as cold as possible to prevent over-spreading. Chilling your shaped scones in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before baking will help you achieve the perfect flaky and crumbly texture.
How to Handle Sticky Pizza Dough
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Brush with milk, cream, or egg wash and sprinkle with sugar
Once you've prepared your scone dough, you can brush it with milk, cream, or egg wash and sprinkle it with sugar before baking. This step is optional but will give your scones a golden brown, extra crisp and crumbly exterior, and a crunchy texture.
To prepare an egg wash, combine the remaining egg with a teaspoon of water in a small bowl and brush it over the scones. You can also brush the scones with milk or heavy cream. If you want to add some extra flavour, you can soak the cream in earl grey tea overnight to infuse it with flavour. For a savoury scone, milk is a better option than an egg wash.
After brushing the liquid over the scones, sprinkle coarse sugar on top. This will give your scones an added crunch.
Once you've completed this step, your scones are ready to be baked!
Pots and Pans: Sizing for Newlyweds
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Bake until golden brown
The baking time for scones varies depending on their size. Smaller scones will take around 12 to 20 minutes to bake, while larger scones will take 25 minutes or more. The oven temperature also varies across recipes, with recommendations ranging from 350°F to 425°F (or 180°C to 220°C).
Regardless of size or oven temperature, the key indicator that your scones are baked is when they turn golden brown. The tops should be golden, and the edges may also turn a darker brown. If you are making Scotch scones, you will also want to cook each side on a griddle until golden brown.
For a golden-brown exterior, brush the scones with heavy cream or buttermilk before baking. You can also add a sprinkle of coarse sugar for extra crunch.
Once baked, transfer the scones to a cooling rack. If you are using a glaze, wait for the scones to cool for at least 10 minutes before adding it.
Fitting Cups in a 3-Quart Saucepan: How Many?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
If your dough is soft and sticky, divide it into pieces and pat each piece into the wells of a baking sheet. If your dough is stiff to moderately soft, use a plastic bowl scraper to pick up the dough in one piece, then lay it atop the baking sheet and flatten it into the wells.
Keep the scone dough as cold as possible. Use cold ingredients like cold heavy cream, egg, and butter. Frozen grated butter is the key to success. You can also place the sheet pan in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.
Bake scones in a relatively hot oven at between 350°F and 425°F for 12 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
