How to Get a Flaky and Delicious Scone

Some people love pancakes, others adore waffles. You might be a "grab-and-go" cereal bar kinda guy, or an "over easy" egg and turkey sausage person. Perhaps a simple protein smoothie and fruit will do the trick. You know what I am talking about: BREAKFAST. And what is my favorite breakfast treat: SCONES. Gorgeous, golden, and flaky right-out-of-the oven goodness.

How does one achieve such perfection? Read my in-dept directions and tips on how to achieve a delicious scone.

Step 1) Sift the dry ingredients together. Cut the cold unsalted butter into 1-inch cubes. Here is the tricky part: "cut" in the butter, with your hands, into the dry ingredients. How do you cut in properly? It is like "rubbing" the butter together with the dry ingredients. Keep on doing this until the butter is in pea-size shape.  The chunks of the butter adds flakiness to the scone. If the butter is "too small," you will not get a desirable flaky texture to your scone.

Step 2) Combine the liquid ingredients together in one bowl and whisk together.  Add this to the mixture. I like to use a bowl scrapper to mix the two together. What is a bowl scrapper? It looks like a plastic rectangle with one curved edge. It is great for uniform mixing because it reaches the "very bottom" of the bowl. Now, DO NOT over mix. It is like pie dough, mix it just until it's combined, uniform, and holds its shape. Too much mixing causes a tough scone. (The low dowe: high mixing equals a product with a lots of structure, like a French Baguette. Low mixing equals a product with little structure, like a scone or pie dough.)

Step 3) Add the your flavorings to the dough! Possibly it is a currant-orange scone with a crystallize crust. Maybe a cranberry-blueberry with an oat topping. Perhaps a cinnamon chip flavor with cream cheese and caramel frosting.

Shape the scone into a large circle, place on a cutting board, and cut with a chef's knife into equal pieces. It is similar to cutting a whole pizza. Place the scones on a parchment-lined cookie tray. I like to egg wash the tops of the scone (Egg Wash: 1 egg whisked with 1 tsp water! Use a party brush to brush it on the scones.) and bake 'em in a moderate oven (350 degrees F) for about 10-15 minutes depending on the size.

Step 4) Let cool. Enjoy and EAT! I like adding real butter or raw honey to my scones.

Like with all skills in life, perfecting the scone is a life-long task. Small steps, information, and following directions will help. Please, don't be afraid to ask me any baking-related questions.

Happy Baking! -SC