Several months ago I purchased the beautiful Bouchon Bakery cookbook, but until recently had only gotten as far as examining all of the inspiring photographs in great detail. Not that I ever really wing anything, but I just felt like if I were to undertake one of the venerable Thomas Keller’s recipes, I’d have to be really committed to doing it right. A few weekends ago, I suddenly had the urge to bake something a little more involved. Something more than throwing cookie ingredients into a stand mixer. Something requiring the careful following of instructions and attention to detail. Something that would create a delicious batter for me to lick out of the bowl.
Cue these scones. Biting into a freshly baked scone makes me think for a moment that I’m sitting in a leather armchair in a dimly lit library in the English countryside. So…yes, scones trigger delusions, and if that doesn’t inspire you to bake some then I don’t know what will. But delusions aside, the simplicity of a scone is a little magical: the way they puff up in the oven, their unique texture and the way they get crispy golden on the outside but stay fluffy within.
These scones take all of that a step further. Instead of mixing cinnamon and honey in like your average Joe, Thomas Keller has you make what are essentially cinnamon honey chips. The ingredients are mixed together into a thick paste, flattened out and then frozen in plastic. Once the rest of the batter is ready, you fold in the chips, and they create these sugary streaks through the scones that are both beautiful and flavorful.
Once on the baking sheets, if obsessive-compulsive disorder is in your genetics, you may want to trim the scones so that each is a perfect rectangle, and then eat the scraps. This is kind of like the first course, between the appetizer which had your face in a mixing bowl and the final result, when the scones have actually baked. Who is to say which of these courses is superior? No one but you can decide, and I suggest you get to work on these right away to find out.
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons (152g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 + 2 tablespoons (304g) cake flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (12.5g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) baking soda
- 1/4 cup + 3 1/2 tablespoons (91g) granulated sugar
- 8oz (227g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons (135g) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (135g) crème fraîche
- 3 tablespoons (30g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (30g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (4g) ground cinnamon
- 1oz (30g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon (20g) clover honey
- 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons (45g) clarified butter
- 1 tablespoon (20g) clover honey
Instructions
- To make 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).
- To make 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 crème fraîche 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.
- Cut the cinnamon honey butter paste into the 1/4-inch cubes. Remove the bowl with the scone dough from the mixer and mix in the cubes by hand. They may begin to break up a bit, which is 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 the prepared sheet pan, leaving space between them. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until frozen solid, about 2 hours, but preferably overnight. (The scones can remain in the freezer for up to 1 month).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (standard) or 325°F (convection). Line a sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
- Arrange the frozen scones 1 inch apart on the sheet pan. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes in a standard oven, 20 to 23 minutes in a convection oven, until golden brown.
- To make 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.
Notes
From Bouchon Bakery
