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
- Prepare a 13” x 18” (½ sheet) baking pan by lining with parchment paper or lightly greasing.
- Measure and sift the Caputo "00" Chef's Flour, baking powder, sea salt, brown sugar, and sugar into a mixing bowl.
- Slice cold butter into ¼” thick x 1- 2” pieces.
- Measure and combine buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Turn mixture onto clean, lightly floured work surface.
- Press the dough into a cohesive mass, gently incorporating the crumbly parts (very little handling required)
- Using a rolling pin, roll evenly flat to ¾” – 1” thick.
- With a knife, cut into 2 x 3” triangles. Scraps of dough may be re-rolled one time.
- Place on prepared sheet pan – about 12 each, evenly spaced apart.
- 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.
- When the scones are almost done resting, preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Remove scones from refrigeration, brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 30-34 minutes to your desired color.
- 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.