You can make scones faster than cookies. You can mix them faster, form them faster, and bake them quicker. And everyone loves a hot scone.
Step 1: Mixing the Dough
No need to set up your stand-type mixer. Add your mix (or dry ingredients) to a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife. Add the water and stir with a fork. When the dough begins to form, dump the contents on the counter and knead with your hands for a few moments, just until everything sticks together in a dough ball.
Step 2: Forming the Scones
Pat the dough into a disk with the dough 1/2- to 3/4-inches thick. Cut the disk into wedges and lay them on nonstick or lightly greased baking sheet with 1/2- to 3/4-inches between the scones.
Step 3: Baking the Scones
Bake them in a hot oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges just barely start to brown. Remove them to a wire rack to cool. Frost them if desired. Serve them hot.
Baker’s notes:
- While it’s traditional to cut scones into wedges, you don’t have to. We often use a biscuit cutter and cut them into circles as you would biscuits. Lately, we have been patting our dough into a rectangle and cutting the dough in 2-inch by 2-inch squares.
- Keep your dough chilled and don’t let the butter melt. That’s easy to do if you start with rock hard butter and cold water. We measure the water first and put it in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for a few minutes until ready to use. If the butter melts, your dough will become wet and soggy. When you cut your scones you should be able to see chunks of butter in your dough.
- Don’t over bake your scones. They should barely begin to brown around the edges.
