Bacon, Fig and Chocolate Scones
Forget the dry, tasteless scones that have been sitting on the coffee shop display since 4am. These fluffy, flaky wonders are a cross between its concrete cousin and a buttery biscuit. Need a tutorial? Check out our L.A. Times feature and video for this recipe with two of our favorite young chefs- Olivia and Sebastian.
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Ingredients
Scones
- 3 slices Bacon optional, but OH so good
- 4 cups Flour 520g
- 2 tbsp Baking powder 24g
- 1 tsp Salt 5g
- 1/4 cup Sugar 50g
- 1/4 cup Dried figs 40g, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup Milk chocolate pcs 50g, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Gruyere or white cheddar 50g, grated
- 1 stick Butter 112g, very cold and finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups Buttermilk 360g, or milk with 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp Heavy cream 45g
Wash
- 1/4 cup Sugar 50g, coarse grain
- 3 Tbsp Milk 45g
Instructions
- Once bacon is cooked, cool and chop finely by hand or in the food processor.
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees.
- Rub the butter into the flour, just until each piece is about the size of your thumbnail and well-coated with flour.
- Stir in the buttermilk and cream all at once into the bowl. Stir only until the mixture absorbs all the flour.
- Dump mixture onto a piece of parchment paper or a lightly floured surface and, using a flat, open hand, pat down to a thickness of about 1/2”. Fold dough in half over itself and pat down again. Wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Using a biscuit cutter or any other round instrument, punch out (but do not twist, as this will seal the layers and disrupt the rising of the scones) your scones. Place at least 2” apart on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet.
Wash
- Brush scones with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on their size.
Notes
When making any recipe that has a high ratio of flour in it, it’s helpful to no over mix (this over-activates the gluten proteins in the flour, making the dough too tight and dense). Try leaving the dough as a slightly shaggy mess just before patting it down. If figs aren’t your fancy, replace them with dried currants, raisins or any other dried fruit. The best part of this recipe? It makes a lot, and the pucks of scones you’ve cut out can be frozen and defrosted for just 20 minutes before baking as directed
