Cheddar Scallion Bacon Scones
These savory scones are more moist and tender than traditional British scones. They make great grab-and-go breakfasts for the week, but they also work as brunch for a crowd, or even as a light lunch.
Ingredients
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2 to 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 3 ounces sharp cheddar cut into ¼-inch cubes
- 5 scallions white and green parts, thinly sliced
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 ounces bacon 4 slices, cooked until crisp and roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Cut 8 tablespoons of the butter into eight pieces. Chill. Take remaining tablespoon of butter and melt, skimming away solids. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter.
- Measure out 2 cups all-purpose flour, and in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine with baking powder, salt, baking soda, cumin, cayenne, cheddar, and scallions. Using a paddle attachment, blend in the chilled cut butter until the mixture resembles Grape Nuts and no butter pieces are larger than ¼ inch.
- Whisk together the buttermilk, crème fraîche, egg, and egg yolk, and add to flour mixture. Blend until a rough dough forms. If dough is too liquid or sticky, add flour until dough is thick and dry in places. Add the bacon crumbles, and blend an additional 10 seconds to incorporate.
- Using a rubber spatula, transfer the dough from the bowl into the greased cake pan. Pat down the top of the dough, and brush with the remaining (melted) butter. Using a knife or dough cutter, cut the dough into eight wedges, like a pie or pizza.
- Bake the scones for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Cut into eight pieces along the score marks, and serve with additional butter or crème fraîche.
Amy Scheuerman
Amy Scheuerman—culture's former web director—spent eight years in North Carolina where she developed a love of barbecue and biscuits before moving up north to get a degree in nutrition. She now works at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Photographer Evi Abeler
Evi Abeler is a food and still life photographer based in New York City. She helps art directors, cookbook authors and designers to communicate the love, passion and thought that goes into every project and creates modern, yet classic images. Her clients in advertising, publishing, hospitality and retail include Food & Wine Magazine (which named her Digital Food Award Winner), Harper Collins Publishing and Whole Foods Markets.
Stylist Laura Knoop
Laura Knoop is a New York City-based food stylist with a studio in Harlem.
