Earl Grey Scones

Some people say scones are puff pastries but some say scones should be their own category. Their versatile is one of the reason I love making and experimenting with scones. I would often makeup a new flavour every week, since it is so easy to change the flavours.

I have tried almost a hundred scone flavours, some are weird I would have to say. After trying so many flavours, the earl grey scone still remains unbeatable. Especially with its sweet glazing, and eating it while it is warm with an early grey buttercream is paradise for me. This recipe takes a couple tries to master the folding technique, but it makes all the difference!

This recipe requires a bit more ingredient and technique than many other recipes, but the folding technique allows the scones to puff from the thin layers of butter, and makes it flaky while looking picture-perfect.

This recipe makes 12 scones, I made it so that if you cut the recipe in half or quarter it, the recipe still works perfectly! You could make 6 or 3 scones depending on your mood!

Let’s Begin!

Ingredient:

Dough

• 160g unsalted butter

• 130g creme fraiche

  • 1cup whipping cream and 1tbsp buttermilk. Leave room temp for 12-24 hr, and refrigerate 24 hr before using

• 130g thickened cream(whipping cream)

• 2 eggs ~50g without shell

• 300g cake flour

• 200g all purpose flour

• 100g sugar

• 1tsp salt

• 4tsp baking powder

• 4 bag tea (any tea, early grey most fragrant) ~2.5 g each bag

  Glaze

  -Honey flavoured (sweet crust):

• 2tsp honey

• 1tsp water

• 1tsp whipping cream

  -Egg yolk (shiny, brown crust):

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tsp water

• pinch of salt

Steps:

1. Cube butter

   • put in freezer while preparing for the rest

2. Mix wet ingredient: put in fridge while preparing for the rest

3. Mix dry ingredient, sift

4. Break butter into the dry ingredients

   • Do not over break the butter, as the butter will create layers in the scones and retain moisture

5. Add wet ingredient

   • Use a fork to combine until liquid is absorbed

6. Dump onto table and fold dough in half until the dough holds shape ~80% mixed

   • Do not over knead, as gluten will form and it will create a stiff and dry scone

7. Form into a rectangle, cut the dough in half and stack them on top of each other and

8. Form into a rectangle again

9. Cut into 12 pieces about 5 cm TALL (Too tall the scones will fall sideways)

10. Put into freezer while preheating

    • 25-30min of freezing is the best but not necessary

    • It can be frozen for baking at any time

11. Apply glaze before baking

12. 180°C/356°F for 20-25min(depends on your oven)

    • The edge have to start browning, but take one out and cut in half to see if the middle is cooked

    • 2min extra if the scones are frozen

Early grey(any tea) butter cream:

• 100ml whipping cream ~102 g

• 40g sugar

• 2 bag early grey tea powder (any tea)

  • Sift the tea leaves

• 2 egg yolk

• 150g butter

1. Boil cream and tea for 3min

   • the mixture should be a little thickened by then

2. Chill cream and tea mixture till lukewarm

   • Or chill while stirring over a cold water bath

3. Add egg yolks when the mixture is lukewarm

4. Whisk the mixture over a hot water bath till thicken and foamy

5. Pour the warm/hot mixture over the butter and whisk ~5min

   • Room temp butter will be easier to whisk together

   • Whisk till the mixture does not have bits of butter and is silky smooth

The scones go super well with the butter cream, they are quite easy to make in advance and freeze them in bulks. In the morning, just pop them in the oven and you can have fresh and hot scones with a dot of jam or butter.