Lemon Scones

When life gives you lemons, make lemon scones!

  • Yield: 12 scones
  • Prep Time: 34 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients

Dough
4 and 1/2 teaspoons (16g) baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (4.6g) sea salt, fine
2 and 1/2 tablespoons (30g) brown sugar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons (20g) sugar, superfine
1 cup (227g) butter, unsalted, cold, sliced 1/4in thick
2 medium eggs (105g)
3 and 1/2 tablespoons (54g) buttermilk, 3% fat
1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
2 teaspoons (2g) lemon zest
2 tablespoons buttermilk (for brushing)
2 tablespoons sugar (for sprinkling)
Tools
KitchenAid or similar mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
Sifter
Rolling pin
Knife
Pastry brush
13 x 18" sheet pan (or similar)
Parchment paper or pan spray
Oven

Instructions

  1. Prepare a 13” x 18” (½ sheet) baking pan by lining with parchment paper or lightly greasing. 
  2. Measure and sift the Caputo "00" Chef's Flour, baking powder, sea salt, brown sugar, and sugar into a mixing bowl.
  3. Slice cold butter into ¼” thick x 1- 2” pieces.  
  4. Measure and combine buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Set aside. 
  5. In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, mix dry ingredients until fully combined. In Kitchen Aid mixer about 20 seconds on speed 1. 
  6. Add sliced cold butter, and mix until pieces of butter have mostly broken down to ¼” pieces and are mixed evenly throughout the dry ingredients. In Kitchen Aid mixer about 1 minute on speed 1. *Some dry ingredients may become airborne; you may loosely cover the top of the mixing bowl with a towel or hands to prevent this. 
  7. Add the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and lemon zest mixture and gently mix until mostly incorporated. Mix will be partly crumbly. In Kitchen Aid mixer about 1 minute on speed 1.  
  8. Turn mixture onto clean, lightly floured work surface. 
  9. Press the dough into a cohesive mass, gently incorporating the crumbly parts (very little handling required) 
  10. Using a rolling pin, roll evenly flat to ¾” – 1” thick. 
  11. With a knife, cut into 2 x 3” triangles. Scraps of dough may be re-rolled one time.  
  12. Place on prepared sheet pan – about 12 each, evenly spaced apart. 
  13. Place entire pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour to rest the dough and ensure the butter is cold before baking. *Cut, unbaked scones may be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator overnight to bake the following day. 
  14. When the scones are almost done resting, preheat your oven to 350°F.
  15. Remove scones from refrigeration, brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. 
  16. Bake for 30-34 minutes to your desired color. 
Notes: 
  • The trick to making light and tender scones is to keep the butter cold throughout mixing until baking and not over-working the dough.  
  • Try adding nuts, dried fruit, or other inclusions to the scones, ¾ cup (70-90g) for the above recipe. Vanilla and lemon zest may also be replaced with different extracts or concentrates. 

Products Used In The Recipe

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About the Chef



Meet Chef Jesse Dodson

Chef Jesse Dodson

Jesse Dodson started working in bakeries as a teenager and found a lifelong passion for bread and pastries which he has pursued for three decades. Over time he has baked in many different settings, including wood fired artisan bread in the back of a barn, fine dining pastry, wholesale production bakeries, and for many years, managed an in-store, from scratch bread program for a popular chain of PNW grocery stores. Product development and technical training are his favored tasks in the bakery industry. He also enjoys merchandising and helping bakeries find improvements in quality and efficiency.

“To me, baking is the art of transforming simple, quality ingredients into sensuous, edible delights”

Jesse lives in Portland, Oregon and spends his time outside the bakery cooking, especially over wood fire, gardening, playing music, and riding motorcycles.

Learn more about Jesse's recipe consulting on his website below.