Scones are the best part of the English cuisine and the famous afternoon tea. Not many other recipes have made it into my repertoire but that could be due to the strange taste the English have when it comes to food. Why on earth would one crave Black Pudding or Kidney Pie, but please convince me if I appear ignorant. Which can easily be the case. Just the thought of English vegetables as sides make me shiver, yet there are some of my favorite restaurants in England, amahzing chefs and a more amazing variety of cuisines than one can think of – most of them not British. Maybe that is why there is no such phrase as Bon Appetit so they use the French phrase.
Oh I forgot the sandwhiches but "please not with cucumbers… !" my son would say ...
Scones do not demand much skill to turn out nice and flaky – which by all means they should be!
The trick is the cold butter! and in this recipe we will just freeze them before we bake them and this will do the trick as well. The butter nevertheless sould never be warm, trust me! Incase you love bacon a lot there is no harm in doubling the quantity in the recipe and make this a feast.
Preparation time 15 min + 5 min
Chilling time 2 hours + overnight
Baking time 25 min | 175°C | 350°F
You Need
300 g | 2 ¼ cups flour
8 g | 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1,5g | ½ teaspoon baking soda
30 g | 3 tbsp. sugar
3,5 g | 1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tip of a knife of chili
130 g cold butter
80g | ¼ + 1 tbsp. cup heavy cream
90g | 1/3 cup Greek yoghurt
120g chopped smoked bacon
150g grated Parmesan
30g grated Parmesan (for sprinkling)
Sift the flour, baking powder and soda in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix everything with the sugar a few seconds add the salt. On lower speed add the butter cut in cubes and if it the butter is not breaking up, turn the mixer off and help it by hand. Turn it on again and add the heavy cream and the yoghurt, scraping the sides down if necessary. Add the bacon cut in small cubes and the 150g grated cheese. Let pulse to incorporate the ingredients. Now the tricky part comes in case you want rectangles versus typical round scones. Place the dough between two sheets of cling wrap and press it into a rectangle. Use a rolling pin for the even surface and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. Then take the dough onto your work surface, cut the desired strips and freeze them again covered with plastic wrap over night but at least 2 hours. The scones can be frozen up to a month! How perfect, in case you make a double batch you will have another set waiting just to be baked! Brush each scone with a little heavy cream and sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan. Bake the frozen scones two fingers apart on a baking tray lined with parchment paper for 25 minutes or until just turning golden. Servewarm for breakfast with a dippy egg or for a lunch salad as side.
