Cream Scones Are One Good Reason to Stay Home

While Kirkland’s breakfast joints offer a nice reprieve from cooking, there is still some effort required to step out the door and into public. The next best thing is sending your significant other to a local bakery to pick up some pastries. There have been many Saturday mornings begun by a box of croissants from The French Bakery on the corner of State Street and Kirkland Avenue.

Every once in a while a scone or two was nestled into the pile of chocolate or ham and cheese croissants. Initially unimpressed with a rather dry-looking crust, the scone turned out to be surprisingly tender inside.

Barista Shane Spoerer says that the scones are not really very big sellers at The French Bakery.

“The owner would rather not carry them because they aren’t actually French,” Spoerer says, “but it is an item that a coffee house is expected to have.”

Management may have to rethink the pure Italian coffee if French origins are the most important criteria for carrying an item. The entire back wall is dedicated to a photo mural of Bologna.

As long as they keep those delicious ham and cheese croissants around, everything will be alright. In fact, I much prefer my homemade scones, which have a completely different texture and never are dry.

For many people, the idea of baking something from scratch is intimidating. This is not to say that there aren’t some great mixes out there, but if you think about it, a mix is not much more than flour, sugar, salt and baking powder and carries a price tag of several dollars. These ingredients are not exotic or hard to find. In fact, you probably already have them in your pantry.

Perhaps the most attractive aspect of a baking mix is that the box physically reminds a cook to bake a particular item. If you see a box of Fair Scones mix in your cupboard you’re probably much more likely to think, “Hey, maybe I’ll make some scones today.”

The scones baked from my recipe melt in your mouth. They are especially good with fresh, soft butter and homemade strawberry jam. A delicious variation is to add a bit of orange zest and some dried currants. Try plumping the currants in a bit of warm water or, if you’re feeling adventurous, a bit of rum.

Cream Scones, makes 6 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup currants, optional
zest from ½ an orange, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. If using zest and currants, stir them in at this point. Pour in all of the cream and stir until the dough comes together. It will be a soft dough. Don’t over-mix or knead the dough; that can lead to tough scones.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, patting the dough into a 6-inch round, about 2 inches high. With a sharp knife, cut the round into six wedges. Separate the wedges on the baking sheet. Brush the top of each wedge with a little extra cream. There is probably enough cream left in each measuring cup to do the job. Sprinkle the wedges with a bit of sugar.

4. Bake for 15-18 minutes until they turn a light golden brown. Serve hot from the oven.

5. To reheat leftover scones, wrap loosely in foil and heat in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes. This recipe can be doubled, making two rounds and 12 scones. Try adding blueberries and lemon zest, for variation.