Description
Delightful orange cranberry cream scones blend zesty citrus with tart berries in a classic British-style pastry. Warm scones invite bakers to savor sweet-tangy notes alongside afternoon tea or morning coffee.
Ingredients
Scale
- 280g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 200–220 mL (1 cup) cold heavy cream
- 70g (5 tbsps) unsalted butter
- 80g (½ cup) dried cranberries
- 40g (3 tbsps) sugar
- 15g (1 tbsp) baking powder
- 3g (½ tsp) salt
- Zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Dry Ingredient Fusion: Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, orange zest, and salt in a mixing bowl, whisking until perfectly integrated.
- Butter Incorporation: Rapidly crumble cold butter into the flour mixture using fingertips, creating a texture reminiscent of coarse breadcrumbs while keeping butter chilled to maintain flakiness.
- Fruit Distribution: Gently fold cranberry pieces throughout the developing mixture, ensuring even dispersion of the vibrant fruit elements.
- Liquid Binding: Pour chilled heavy cream into the mix, stirring with a flexible spatula until the ingredients form a loosely cohesive dough.
- Dough Preparation: Transfer the delicate mixture onto a lightly floured surface, performing minimal handling – just enough to create a unified mass with gentle kneading motions.
- Shaping Protocol: Mold the dough into a compact circular disc, pressing firmly to achieve a consistent three-centimeter thickness, then carefully cut into uniform shapes using a flour-dusted circular cutter.
- Baking Arrangement: Arrange scone pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet, strategically spacing them to allow proper heat circulation, and reassemble any remaining dough fragments to maximize ingredient usage.
- Thermal Transformation: Position the baking sheet in a preheated oven at 220°C, centrally placed, and bake for twelve to fifteen minutes until the surfaces develop a golden-bronze hue with crisp exterior and tender interior.
Notes
- Butter Handling Technique: Work quickly with cold butter to maintain its chilled state, using fingertips to create a crumbly texture without warming the fat, which ensures flaky scone structure.
- Cranberry Distribution Strategy: Gently fold cranberries throughout the mixture to prevent crushing and ensure even fruit placement, creating balanced flavor in every bite.
- Minimal Dough Manipulation: Handle dough with a light touch, performing only essential kneading to prevent gluten development, which keeps scones tender and prevents tough texture.
- Freezing and Storage Hack: Prepared scones can be frozen up to seven days, with baking time extended by 3-5 minutes when cooking directly from frozen state, offering convenient make-ahead option.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 190mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 40mg