I have had all sorts of crazy things swirling through my head since I arrived home from Italy last Saturday – chalk it up to severe jet lag or something. Anyway, I haven’t baked in ages – like three weeks? Unheard of! I have been thinking of cinnamon buns and scones and all sorts of items I have missed.
My husband accuses me from time to time of having bad flashbacks – I assure you I do not – it’s just the way my mind works and I’m trying to have a little fun, ok? So this morning I said to Christin, I feel like baking something…… then, I thought of how Ryan, Mr. Expert on ???, said to me awhile ago that scones are not scones unless they are separate and not baked in a disk. Really? Where does he get this stuff? Did he go to pastry school? Has he read 1.000 cookbooks? Um, no. And, finally, I thought about rolling scones – Rolling Stones………. (I know!)
Anyway, one thing I do agree with him on is that scones bake better and develop the crusty exterior I love, (kind of like Elaine’s muffin tops concept) when they are individual items baked on a sheet. I’ve watched Ina and others cut them out with a cutter and then half the dough is wasted – or they re-form it and it gets tough. The other option I use most frequently is the patting out into a disk and cutting into wedges approach and these need to be gently separated in order to cook properly – so what to do?
So, today, needing some extra fortification for going through all my pictures from Sicily (poor excuse) and trying to finish up my posts from the trip, I thought I’d engage in an experiment to see if I could work on the idea of the rolled scone. I don’t think I have seen anyone do this. Scones are all about texture right? I think texture is more important than even flavor when it comes to a scone – is that blasphemy? For me I don’t want a scone, no matter what the flavor, unless it has a dry, crunchy outside and good loft.
I started with Thomas Keller’s recipe for Cinnamon Honey Scones from Bouchon Bakery and went from there:
MARIANNE’S ROLLING SCONES – Raspberry/Almond version – adapted from Bouchon Bakery
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1/2 navel orange
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup plus 2 tblsp buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 2 tblsp creme fraiche
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1 pkg fresh raspberries
sliced toasted almonds
for rolling: 1/4 cup sugar with zest of 1/2 navel orange “pinched in”
egg wash
turbinado sugar
Preheat oven to 400F.Place a sheet of parchment paper onto a baking sheet. On another sheet of parchment paper spread the other 1/4 cup of sugar and zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers, distributing well. Then spread across the sheet again. Set aside.Meanwhile, add flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, zest and nutmeg to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse until mixture is consistency of coarse meal. Turn mixture into a wide, low bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, creme fraiche, vanilla and almond extracts and orange juice. Pour about 3/4 of the wet mixture into the bowl and turn with a plastic dough mixer, tossing gently until the dough begins to come together. Add more of the wet ingredients and toss again. Add the raspberries and toss gently. With your hands bring the dough together and try to get it to roll into a log. (depending on the day and your flours, you may have to add a little more buttermilk) When it is holding together well, move it to the parchment with the sugar mixture on it. Roll the log in the sugar/zest mixture until coated. With a dough scraper or sharp knife, cut the log into 10 pieces. Arrange on the baking sheet, cut side up. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds and turbinado sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until deeply browned and crunchy. Enjoy.
While I was not entirely satisfied with the loft part of this recipe, it tasted good and the exterior had great crunch. I may have added just a touch too much buttermilk to these. But, they got eaten anyway!
I am going to try this method again – but, of course, there is the “croissant method” also – rolling the dough into a rectangle and cutting into triangles.
photo courtesy Bouchon Bakery
Callie’s having a rough day:
