My Mum and Dad are both from England and I was the first person in our family born in the USA. When I called to tell my parents, I was bringing over Savoy Scones with Devonshire Cream, Blueberry Compote, and Roasted Strawberries, my Mum was very excited and put the kettle on for tea. When I arrived, she informed me that my scones were the wrong shape, that they should be round not triangles, a little taller and not quite so brown. Haha! She wasn’t being mean, just constructive criticism which was given and taken with good humor. My Dad ate six with no complaints, so I guess they tasted pretty good.
Here is my recipe for Devonshire Cream
I guess, how we get scones here in the US are a lot different than a proper British Scone. I need to plan a trip to England for a proper education.
The Savoy Hotel in London is famous for its High Tea and its Scone recipe is legendary. A quick bread, the scone is light, airy, and subtly sweetened with dried currants baked inside, with a texture similar to a Buttermilk Biscuit. The scone at high tea is traditionally round, personally, I think triangle-shaped scones are more efficient and there is less wasted dough, but what do I know? Haha.
How to Pronounce Scone
In U.S. English, its pronunciation rhymes with ‘tone’. However, the Scone originated somewhere in the United Kingdom, and depending on the region of England, Ireland or Scotland, it could rhyme with either ‘gone’ like ‘skawn’ or ‘tone’ like ‘skown’. My family comes from Northern England in Lancashire, so we pronounce it ‘skawn’.
This is my adaptation of the Savoy Scone:
Savoy Scones with Devonshire Cream
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour Sifted
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder Sifted
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda Sifted
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter European style butter is best
- 1 Egg Beaten
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 3/4 Cup Dried Currants
- 1 Zest Orange Zest Only
- 3/4 Cup Buttermilk
Egg Wash
- 1 Egg Beaten
- 1 Tablespoon Buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F
- Add the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter until the bits are the size of lentils. Then add the dried fruit and orange zest
- Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk then add them to the dry mixture. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, the dough should be consistent in texture, not too dry or too wet, add more buttermilk if too dry
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, roll out to approximately 1-inch thickness.
- A round scone is traditional, however, you can cut into triangle shapes or use a round cutter. Triangle shapes have no waste.
- Place the scones onto a parchment or silicone mat lined sheet pan
- Beat one egg with a 1 tablespoon of buttermilk for an egg wash. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash
- Bake for approximately 14-16 minutes until browned and not moist on the sides.
Nutrition
