Traditional Cream Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup half-and-half, cream or the whey from your Devonshire cream
Optional glaze: half-and-half or cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper OR a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, two butter knives or your fingers. The mixture will be crumbly. In a small measuring cup, stir together the half-and-half or cream and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Alternatively (my preferred method), add all dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse. Add the butter and pulse until mixture is evenly crumbly. Slowly add the cream through the food processor chute, pulsing to combine.  Pulse just until the dough forms a large ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, knead gently a few times and then pat into an 8-in. circle. Cut the circle into 8 even wedges. Alternately, use a 2 1/2-in. round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into rounds. Re-roll/pat out the scraps as needed. Place the wedges or rounds on the prepared cookie sheet, spacing a few inches apart. Optional: brush the tops of the scones with a little cream.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until nicely browned. Excellent served warm with Devonshire (clotted) cream and jam, or butter and honey.

Makes 8 wedges or about 10 2 1/2-in. round scones.

Click here for a printable version.

Recipe adapted from https://www.joyofbaking.com/scones.html and https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/dream-a-little-dream-of-scone/

Tips--If at all possible, make Devonshire cream first and use the whey in place of the cream. It is EXCEPTIONAL. Use the food processor to save time and don't feel guilty! Save the knife you use to cut the butter for slicing the dough into wedges. In my experience, salted and unsalted butter are nearly interchangeable, despite what "real" bakers say. Reduce the salt slightly if you use salted butter. 

Now for the BS. There is one food blogger whose BS I will happily read until the end of time, and that is Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. I have her cookbook and I refer to her recipes time and again. It was Deb who recently inspired me to try yet another scone recipe, which she adapted from America's Test Kitchen (who I also adore, especially their show on PBS). I thought, If Deb says it's good, it MUST be good. And it IS good! The primary difference between this recipe and my Perfect Cream Scones recipe is that there is no egg in this recipe. So if you or someone you love has an egg allergy, this is ideal! Also, the traditional recipe bakes at a slightly higher temp for a slightly lower time. These are the absolute best made with the whey left over from making your own Devonshire cream. They work well with regular cream or half-and-half, also. The only difference I note in the finished product is that the Perfect Cream Scones are even lighter and airier. These Traditional Cream Scones are flatter but also have crispier edges and brown really nicely, I assume due to the extra cream. I go back and forth between the two recipes, because I love them both. When I brought both kinds to Tea Friday at the library where I work, my coworkers could really not tell a difference between the two recipes. They just said both are amazing. I agree!

Devonshire Cream

1 quart heavy cream, NOT ultra pasteurized
(yes, really, there's just ONE ingredient!)

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F. Pour cream into a shallow glass baking dish (7x11 in. or 8-9 in. round or square). Bake in preheated oven for 12 hours. Yes, TWELVE HOURS. Don't stir it, poke at it or touch it. After 12 hours, carefully remove from oven and let cool to room temp, 20 or so minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 10 hours.

After it is fully cooled, remove from fridge and lift up a corner of the cream with a butter knife or spoon. Carefully pour the whey (liquid) into a jar for another use (such as scones!).

 

 

Scrape the solid cream into a container with an airtight lid, or immediately spread on scones and enjoy. The little golden bits are like browned butter and apparently they are prized in Britain. This makes about 2 cups of spreadable cream. If you can't use it within a week, freeze the rest in an airtight container for another time. It freezes very well!

Click here for a printable version.

I know it's the same photo as yesterday. It's all I currently have!
Further, I know TRUE British people put on jam first,
cream second. I like jam second. You do you.

Tips--Bake this the day before you need it. If possible, choose a day where you can be home all day and start baking it when you get up. I personally also don't feel comfortable leaving the oven on, even at low temperature, while I am away or asleep. I baked mine 8am-8pm and then I had it in the fridge before bed. When I woke up the next day, it was ready to go! Also, it spreads MUCH better at room temperature!! You can also add back in a little of the whey to make it more spreadable.
 
Now for the BS. I avoided trying this recipe for a while because of the crazy long baking time. For that reason, it is not something I make often. It is a commitment! But it really is worth it. If you like butter, you will LOVE Devonshire cream. The other name for it is clotted cream, which doesn't sound very appealing to us non-Brits. But whatever you choose to call it, it is a revelation. It will take your tea and scones to a whole new level. If you've ever wondered what is meant by cream tea, Devonshire cream is an integral part!