Oh, cinnamon scone, you may not be as attractive as your third cousin twice removed, the croissant, but you sure sparkle in your own way. I love how easy going you are. It’s a cake walk mixing you up. And even though you appear crumbly in the beginning you always remind me that “April showers brings May flowers”. I love how low maintenance you are. If I want to bake you later you’re cool with just chillin’ in the freezer until I’m ready. If I baked you yesterday, and today a friend comes over for coffee you’re all like, “It’s okay! Just pop me in a 350º F. oven for 10 minutes, and I’ll act all freshly baked and stuff.” Seriously, you’re my best friend, cinnamon scone. You and this damn good martini I’m drinking right now.
I adapted this cinnamon scone recipe from Karen DeMasco’s wonderful baking book The Craft Of Baking. There are 3 rules I always follow when making scones:
- Keep the ingredients cold. This ensures a more flakier scone.
- Barely mix. Like pancakes, an over mixed dough will lead to a tougher texture.
- Always take the internal temperature when baking. I’ve noticed that scones can look done on the outside, but are still doughy on the inside. Scones are ready when they have an internal temperature of 200º F.
Okay, let’s get to baking! Simply mix the ingredients in a standing mixer. Once the mixture barely comes together dump it on a floured baking sheet and press it into a rough 7″ circle. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes, and then cut the chilled dough into eighths.
Carefully spread each slice out on the baking sheet, and then brush with milk, and sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
Bake in a 425º F. oven for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200º F.
And that’s it. Serve these delicious cinnamon scones while still warm with mugfuls of coffee.
Notes
Special equipment needed: Standing mixer with paddle attachment, baking sheet, instant-read thermometer (optional), piping bag (optional), cooling rack
Ingredients
For the cinnamon scones
- 1 and ¾ cups (219 g) All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup plus 2 TBS (74 g) Sugar
- 1 TBS plus 1 tsp. (15 g) Baking Powder
- ½ tsp. (2 g) Salt
- 2 tsp. (4 g) Ground Cinnamon
- 6 TBS (3/4 stick or 85 g) Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- ¾ plus 2 TBS cup Heavy Cream, cold and divided
- Demerara Sugar, for sprinkling
For the glaze
- 1 TBS Milk
- ½ cup (62 g) Powdered Sugar
Instructions
To make the cinnamon scones
- Lightly flour a baking sheet and set aside. In a bowl connected to a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and ground cinnamon. Add the pieces of butter, and place the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes. Once chilled and using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the mixture on low speed until the butter pieces get smaller, and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour the cream into the butter mixture and beat on low speed until the dough just begins to come together. Knead the dough with cold hands to incorporate any flour left at the bottom of the bowl. Place the dough on the baking sheet and pat out to a 7-inch circle that is ¾ inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Using a sharp knife cut the cold dough like a pizza into 8 slices. Carefully space these slices out on the baking sheet. Brush each slice with the remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and sprinkle each with Demerara sugar.
- Bake the scones for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. To be absolutely sure they are completely cooked through use an instant read thermometer. The scones are ready when their internal temperature is at 200 degrees F.
- Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
To make the glaze
- Mix the powdered sugar with the milk until you have a nice glaze (not too runny and not too thick). Drizzle the glaze on each scone using a piping bag or a spoon. Enjoy while still warm.
