These cinnamon honey scones would be a perfect weekend project. Though they’re easy to make, there are quite a few steps and several require hours of chill time. But once they’re assembled you can leave them in the freezer for up to a month, allowing you to pull out and bake a few scones at a time as needed.
By Deborah
Cinnamon Honey Scones
just barely adapted from Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel
(Note: The recipes in this book are given in both weight and volume measurements. I made the scones using the weight measurements and would urge you to do the same for the best results.)
Ingredients:
Cinnamon Honey Cubes
- 30 g (3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 30 g (2 1/2 tablespoons) sugar
- 4 g (1 1/2 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
- 30 g (about 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 20 g (1 tablespoon) honey
Scones
- 152 g (1 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 304 g (2 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) cake flour
- 12.5 g (2 1/2 teaspoons) baking powder
- 2.5 g (1/2 teaspoons) baking soda
- 91 g (1/4 cup + 3 1/2 tablespoons) sugar
- 227 g (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 135 g (1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons) heavy cream
- 135 g (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) creme fraiche
Honey Butter Glaze
- 2 oz (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
- 20 g (1 tablespoon) honey
Directions:
To make the cinnamon honey cubes: Add the flour, sugar, and cinnamon to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the butter and toss until the pieces are coated in the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until no large visible pieces of butter remain. Stir in the honey with a rubber spatula until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Turn the paste out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a 4-inch square. Wrap the mixture and freeze for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 week).
To make the scones: Sift both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed briefly, just until combined. Add the butter pieces, and mix on low speed until no large visible pieces remain, about 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually pour in the heavy cream, then add the creme fraiche, and continue mixing for about 30 seconds, or until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. A rough dough should form around the paddle.
Remove the cinnamon honey butter from the freezer and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Add them to the bowl with the dough and use a spoon to incorporate them by hand (it’s fine if they start to break up a bit).
Turn the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press it together to form a cohesive mass. Place a second piece of plastic wrap on top, and shape the dough into a 7 1/2 by 10-inch rectangle, smoothing the top and sides the best you can (if the dough becomes soft and difficult to work with, just pop it in the fridge for a few minutes). Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until firm.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and using a sharp knife, cut it lengthwise into thirds and crosswise into quarters so you end up with 12 equally sized scones. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1/2 to 1-inch of space between them. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and freeze the scones until they are frozen solid – at least 2 hours, but even better if you can leave them in there overnight (the scones can be frozen for up to 1 month at this point).
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the scones you want to bake from the freezer to the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between them. Bake for about 28-30 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and slightly firm.
Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking the butter and honey together until combined. When you remove the scones from the oven, immediately brush the tops with the glaze. The scones are best the day you make them, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day.
Makes 12 large scones.
