Large Fruit Scones

[ows]

Hello All,

I am trying to make big fruit scones. I am a reasonably experienced baker and have baked lots of sweet cakes and pastries successfully in the past. I am trying to make scones - I have made fruit scones before but mine never seem to rise very much and always end up small and crumbly. Whenever I go to a cafe or hotel and order a scone they are always massive and I can never get mine that size. I have tried many different recipes and used baking powder. I even spoke to the chef at a luxury hotel near me who gave me his fruit scone recipe and I still can't seem to be able to make them very big. Please could you give me some advice/suggestions?

Many Thanks!

 

[Addie]

Commercial kitchens have much larger pans and put more batter in them. So it is basically the same recipe that you use. But when you make them, you are making a smaller batch of batter, so your scones are not as high or as big as a commercial kitchen. You could try to put more batter in the pan and baking it for just a few more minutes.

Welcome to DC. This is a fun place to be. Lots of laughter and information for everyone.

Bakerchef, where are you? You are needed.

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi, and welcome to DC

Can you provide the recipe you use that doesn't work? That would help us figure out what might be wrong with the ingredients or technique.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Hi ows! Glad you found us.

Like GotGarlic stated, a recipe would be very helpful. I do make scones a lot. Generally speaking, I have found most recipes deliver a dry batter. I usually add a bit more liquid than called for after making a recipe for the first time. Once you try a recipe, you can play with it to make it work best for you.

Also, I find my Nordic Ware scone pan to be invaluable. I never have luck with scones made on a baking sheet, whether made drop-style or in one large, scored circle. These pans are a bit pricey but worth it if you make scones frequently. I have four, two 8-count and 2 16-count mini scones. You can find better prices than those listed at Nordic Ware (such as Amazon) but their catalog is just plain fun.

 

[Mad Cook]

Hello All,

I am trying to make big fruit scones. I am a reasonably experienced baker and have baked lots of sweet cakes and pastries successfully in the past. I am trying to make scones - I have made fruit scones before but mine never seem to rise very much and always end up small and crumbly. Whenever I go to a cafe or hotel and order a scone they are always massive and I can never get mine that size. I have tried many different recipes and used baking powder. I even spoke to the chef at a luxury hotel near me who gave me his fruit scone recipe and I still can't seem to be able to make them very big. Please could you give me some advice/suggestions?

Many Thanks!

I use the recipe from the Good Housekeeping cookery book (below). It never fails me but other recipes have been varying degrees of disaster.

I make them in the following quantities as I've found they aren't as successful if I double the recipe's quantities.

SconesThis is the basic mix for sweet scones. Add dried fruit, cranberries, nuts, etc as you wish - 2oz (50g) of "additives" go in with the dry ingredients before adding the yoghourt. You can make savoury scones by leaving out the sugar and adding 2-3oz of finely grated cheese and dried herbs of your choice with the dry ingredients.

8oz (250g)self-raising flour
1/2 level teasp salt
1 level teasp baking powder
2 oz (50g) butter (you can use hard marge eg Stork, if you like but butter tastes better)
1/4 pint (150ml) plain yoghourt
and a little milk or egg wash to glaze (optional)

Pre-heat a baking sheet in the oven - top shelf - 230C/450F/gas mark 8.

Sift the dry ingredients together. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (this seems to be where American recipes and ours part company). Make a well in the middle and stir in enough yoghourt to give a fairly soft dough

Turn onto a floured surface, knead very lightly if necessary to remove any cracks. roll out to about 3/4 inch thick(I make mine a bit thicker than this) or pat out with your hand. Cut into rounds using a 2 inch cutter dipped in flour or cut into triangles with a sharp knife.

Take the baking sheet out of the oven(be careful, it's hot!)brush with the milk or egg wash and bake immediately at the top of the oven for 8-10 minutes (mind they don't burn but don't keep opening the door to look!) When cooked transfer to a wire cooling tray and allow to cool before buttering and eating, ideally the same day.

I find set yoghourt is best but I don't know why and if you can't find it just use any natural yoghourt full fat or low fat as you prefer. The recipe says milk but that doesn't work for me. I expect that you could use cultured buttermilk but natural yoghourt is usually easier to find. Sour milk used to be used in the days of raw milk but pasteurised milk goes bad, not sour, and shouldn't be used

This has never let me down in over 30 years but before I found it my scones would have made very good ice hockey pucks!

Good luck (you won't need it)

 

[Mad Cook]

Hi ows! Glad you found us.

Like GotGarlic stated, a recipe would be very helpful. I do make scones a lot. Generally speaking, I have found most recipes deliver a dry batter. I usually add a bit more liquid than called for after making a recipe for the first time. Once you try a recipe, you can play with it to make it work best for you.

Also, I find my Nordic Ware scone pan to be invaluable. I never have luck with scones made on a baking sheet, whether made drop-style or in one large, scored circle. These pans are a bit pricey but worth it if you make scones frequently. I have four, two 8-count and 2 16-count mini scones. You can find better prices than those listed at Nordic Ware (such as Amazon) but their catalog is just plain fun.

I find the same. Even with my never fail recipe quoted in my reply to the OP, I don't find a scored round works. No idea why.

 

[CharlieD]

Off topic. What is the difference between scone and muffin batter?

 

[Mad Cook]

Off topic. What is the difference between scone and muffin batter?

You can't roll out muffin batter. Have a look at my scone recipe and compare it with your favourite muffin recipe.

I believe that what you call biscuits are more or less the same as our scones. Where as muffins are more cake-like.

 

[CharlieD]

Are trying to say that scones batter more dry?


Sent from my iPad using Discuss Cooking

 

[GotGarlic]

You can't roll out muffin batter. Have a look at my scone recipe and compare it with your favourite muffin recipe.

I believe that what you call biscuits are more or less the same as our scones. Where as muffins are more cake-like.

Not quite. Here's a good description of American and British names of baked goods: http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2006/07/baked-goods.html

 

[Mad Cook]

Are trying to say that scones batter more dry?


Sent from my iPad using Discuss Cooking

Yes, sort of. The scone mixture isn't a batter. It's a "rubbed-in" mix - a bit like pastry (but not, IYSWIM). You roll it out with a pin or pat it out by hand rather than dolloping it into muffin cases/pans. The recipe is different, too. The recipe I posted further up this thread explains it. Compare it with your favourite muffin recipe eg

Double Blueberry Muffins Recipe : Food Network
(Just an example for comparison. I haven't tried it.)

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Charlie, scones can be shaped like southern-style biscuits

but they are a bit dryer. Not exactly pie dough texture, but you do cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Most of the recipes I've used seem to result in a dryer finished product than we like, so I add just a small amount more of the liquid. I also use a scone/cornbread pan from Nordic Ware that results in wedges of scones that seem moister than when I tried baking them in a circle-cut-into-wedges and baked it on a baking sheet.

MC, those baked goods in your article look like what I know as "muffins". I've made scones for almost a decade and from what I've learned they are more like this recipe: Scones Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network


Dang, now I have a taste for scones! I guess what I know I'll be doing during tonight's baseball game.

 

[Mad Cook]

Charlie, scones can be shaped like southern-style biscuits

but they are a bit dryer. Not exactly pie dough texture, but you do cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Most of the recipes I've used seem to result in a dryer finished product than we like, so I add just a small amount more of the liquid. I also use a scone/cornbread pan from Nordic Ware that results in wedges of scones that seem moister than when I tried baking them in a circle-cut-into-wedges and baked it on a baking sheet.

MC, those baked goods in your article look like what I know as "muffins". I've made scones for almost a decade and from what I've learned they are more like this recipe: Scones Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network
:

Well, like any recipe, you adjust the amount of liquid. Different flours (including different batches of the same brand) can absorb liquid at a different rate. You have to use your common sense. And we butter our scones and often have the sweet ones with jam and sometimes whipped or clotted cream instead of butter

I don't know what you mean here. Which baked goods? Could you clarify please?

As for Alton Brown's scones - they look poor little things. They look roughly the right shape but not very well risen and heavy looking.

And I've been making scones for 55 years. Game, set and match, I think ;-)

 

[Cooking Goddess]

MC, it was"baked goods in your article". As in, the photo of the blueberry muffins that was shown at the beginning of the article. Those blueberry muffins look just the same as the muffins ststeside.

No way I could be baking scones as long as you have. Not because I'm not old enough, but because I had never heard of them until we moved to Massachusetts in 2000. Since then scones have moved west to PA, Ohio, perhaps even further.

For what it's worth, my scones look nicer. If I get mine made I'll have to post a photo.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Now that I'm on the laptop (my previous post was from my cell phone) I can post the photo muffin itself:

Well, like any recipe, you adjust the amount of liquid...

Oh, I completely understand THAT! I've been playing with my food for over half a century (because, to me, cooking is less work and more fun). However, whenever I make a recipe for the first time I almost always follow it as written. After that, look out!

 

[GotGarlic]

Thought this might be useful: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/784/translating-cooking-terms-between-us-uk-au-ca-nz

 

[Mad Cook]

MC, it was"baked goods in your article". ="Red"]As in, the photo of the blueberry muffins that was shown at the beginning of the article. Those blueberry muffins look just the same as the muffins ststeside.

No way I could be baking scones as long as you have. Not because I'm not old enough, but because I had never heard of them until we moved to Massachusetts in 2000. Since then scones have moved west to PA, Ohio, perhaps even further.

For what it's worth, my scones look nicer. If I get mine made I'll have to post a photo.

Yes, it was that use of words that I didn't understand.

I gave a recipe for scones earlier in the thread to the (British) OP. As I was asked by Charlie about the difference between muffins and scones, I referred him to that earlier recipe for scones and quoted the blueberry muffins from an American site as a comparison. Our muffins are a yeast bread and nothing like American muffins or scones. You seem to think I'm saying that scones are like American muffins but I don't know why you are confused about that.

 

[Mad Cook]

Thought this might be useful: language - Translating cooking terms between US / UK / AU / CA / NZ - Seasoned Advice

Thank you GG. That fits the bill.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

... but I don't know why you are confused about that.

You mean I have to have something specific before I'm supposed to be confused??? Argh! But...but..I live in the State of Confusion ALL the time!

 

[Addie]

After looking at several recipes of the English "muffins", they are similar to our English Muffins but are just called Muffins as we call then "English Muffins." They have yeast and are baked inside a ring. We often use an empty tuna can with both ends cut out. Serves the same purpose. And we make them on a grill. Both also have yeast in them.