Master Recipe for Biscuits and Scones
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3cups all-purpose flour
- 1tablespoon baking powder
- 1½teaspoons salt
- ¼pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1cup heavy cream
- 3tablespoons melted butter
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
330 calories; 22 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 5 grams protein; 182 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or baking mat, or use a nonstick pan.
- Step 2
Toss dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, rub butter and flour mixture together just until butter pieces are the size of peas and covered with flour. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in cream. Mix ingredients together by hand until a shaggy dough is formed. (The mixture may seem drier than typical biscuit dough.)
- Step 3
Turn out onto a floured surface and gently knead dough together just until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated.
- Step 4
Pat dough into a ¾- to 1-inch-thick rough rectangle shape. Use your hands if you like a nice bumpy top; for smooth tops, use a rolling pin, pressing lightly. Using a sharp knife or dough scraper, cut rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut across into 8 or 12 rectangles or squares. Place them on the baking sheet, spaced out.
- Step 5
Brush tops with melted butter. Bake until light golden brown, about 22 minutes; rotate the pan front to back halfway through. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet. Serve warm or at room temperature. Eat within 24 hours.
- To make scones, omit the salt and add 2 tablespoons sugar to the dry ingredients. With the cream, add one lightly beaten egg. Omit the melted butter; instead, brush tops with egg wash (2 eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon water). Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
- To make orange-currant scones, make changes above for scones. Additionally, mix freshly grated zest of 1 orange or tangerine with the dry ingredients. When mixing or kneading the dough, add 1 cup currants and knead just until incorporated.
Private Notes
Comments
This recipe works just fine with liquids other than cream. I used some half-and-half this morning that had started to go sour. Buttermilk, even yogurt thinned with milk--that works too.
Do yo think these could be frozen prior to baking? I need to make several batches for a brunch.
1) Make sure the butter is cold. I cube the butter and keep it in the freezer until it's time to use.
2) Don't overwork the dough. I'm surprised the recipe asked you to knead the dough before rolling. Just mix until combined then roll the dough to the right height.
3) Make sure your baking powder isn't old. If needed add more baking powder. I've done this before and the resulting scone was higher with no noticeable change in taste.
As a chemist, I firmly believe the type of reagent (ingredient) used should be absolutely shared (is it Kosher salts? Sea salt? Fine Sea salt?) because the weights will be different as a result AND add the weight! This dough was considerably dry. I added another 1/2 cup of heavy cream before it smoothly came together.
PS- yes I added another 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream because the dough was so dry BUT OMG, they came out PERFECT! YUM!
In my haste, I failed to read the note for scones. I made salty scone-shaped biscuits with lemon zest and poppy seeds. Either the work crew liked them or they were too polite to say anything. Next time, I’ll add a little sugar, dash of salt and an egg!
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