English Scones with Clotted Cream and Jam

Makes 8-10 scones

These traditional English scones have a delightful flavor and texture, and pair wonderfully with afternoon tea! We recommend serving them fresh out of the oven with homemade clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Clotted cream is an English tradition, where unpasteurized cream is warmed until the top layer of cream "clots.” The crust and clotted cream is removed and enjoyed with scones and jam. Clotted cream has at least 55% fat and resembles a very soft butter in texture. The taste is reminiscent of butter, yet is something all to its own. There's a great debate about whether the clotted cream is spread on the scone first followed by the jam, or the reverse -- but can decide for yourself what's proper!

Clotted Cream Ingredients:
1 pint heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized)

Directions:
Prepare the clotted cream by pouring the cream into a 9x9-inch glass baking dish. Place the dish in a 180 degree oven, and bake for 4-5 hours, until a golden crust forms on top. Let the warmed cream cool, and then refrigerate overnight. After the clotted cream has completely chilled, scrape up the crust, and the thick under layer of cream into a bowl, and keep refrigerated until enjoying on warm scones. Reserve any remaining liquid cream for another use.
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English Scone Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup cream
1 large egg

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Measure all of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, salt) together in a large bowl. Mix the dry ingredients well so that all elements are evenly distributed across the mixture. If mixing the scones by hand, a whisk or broad spatula will accomplish the job easily. If mixing with a food processor, pulse the dry ingredients a couple of times to mix the dry components.

3. Grate very cold butter with a coarse grater. If mixing scones by hand, the butter may be incorporated into the flour by (1) using a pastry blender, (2) employing two knives in a scissors motion, or (3) by hand with quick pressing motion. If mixing with a food processor, add the grated butter to the flour mixture in the work bowl. Pulse a few times until a coarse crumb results.

4. Whisk together the cream and egg in a separate bowl. From here, we suggest mixing scones by hand. Add the liquid ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix using a folding motion with a large spatula. Do not over mix. Turn the dough and scraps out onto a lightly floured bread board. The dough should be fairly shaggy at this point.

5. Using a light touch, bring the dough and loose scraps together, and gently gather into a single mass. Push the dough around a bit, folding it over 5-6 times. That’s it, no more. Too much kneading will activate the gluten in the flour and result in a tougher scone. Use just enough flour to keep things from sticking, but as little as possible.

6. Pat the dough into a circle with a thickness of about 3/4-inch to 1-inch, or lightly roll out with a rolling pin. Use a 2-1/2-inch circle biscuit cutter to cut the dough into 8-10 scones. Brush the scones with an egg wash. Place the scones a few inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven – if too low, the bottoms may darken; if too high, the tops may brown to quickly. Bake for 13-15 minutes.

7. Serve Warm – Scones are best eaten just after baking, cooled, yet still slightly warm. Time the baking to coincide with when you plan to eat. Scones provide the perfect canvas for clotted cream, jam, marmalade, or butter. Slow down and savor the moment with each bite.