Coffeehouse Scones Tested Recipe

Coffee House Scones Recipe

I have called these scones, Coffeehouse Scones, because they are similar to what most coffee shops and bakeries now sell. This is a really nice tasting scone with a crisp crust and a soft, almost bread-like texture. Its' pleasing texture and flavor comes from using buttermilk to bind the dry ingredients together, instead of the more commonly used milk and egg. Coffeehouse Scones are great plain, but they are also excellent when 1/2 cup of dried fruit or fresh berries, or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or chopped nuts are added to the dough.

The scones are baked at a fairly high temperature which produces that wonderful crisp and crunchy golden brown crust. As always, scones are at their best warm from the oven, either plain or with jam and devon cream. They can, however, be stored at room temperature for a few days or else frozen.

If you are not familiar with buttermilk it has a nice thick creamy texture with a rich tangy buttery taste that makes baked goods tender. Whereas in the past buttermilk was made from the liquid left over after churning butter, it is now commercially made by adding a bacteria to whole, skim, or low fat milk. You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before using. Or you can buy buttermilk powder which can be found in some grocery stores or in specialty food stores.

Coffeehouse Scones: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently and form into a round that is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Use a 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles. Transfer the scones to the baking sheet and brush the tops of the scones with a little milk.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 6-8 scones.

References:

Foster, Sara. The Foster's Market Cookbook. Random House. New York: 2002.

Garten, Ina. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Clarkson Potter. New York: 1999.

Coffeehouse Scones:

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

2/3 - 3/4 cup (160 - 180 ml) buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract