Running a specialty-food shop in East Hampton, NY, taught me a great deal about preparing food and baked goods in advance. Thousands of muffins and scones came out of our kitchen each morning, and I found that we could prepare every muffin batter the night before, store it in the refrigerator, and then simply scoop it into tins and bake it the next morning. I began applying the same approach at home: weekend guests are always happy to see these cranberry-orange scones, but I also value the occasional morning when I can sleep in, so I prepare the dough a day ahead, cut out the scones, and chill them. The next morning, I only need to put them in the oven and finish them with an orange glaze. Hot, delicious scones for breakfast, with no stress!
Info
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minutes
- Total time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 14 to 16 scones
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup more
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest (from 2 oranges)
- 3/4 pound (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
- 4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Set the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, combine 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, the baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix on the lowest speed until the butter is broken into pea-sized pieces. Stir together the eggs and heavy cream, then, with the mixer running on low speed, add the mixture gradually to the flour and butter. Stop mixing once everything is just combined—the dough will look lumpy. Toss the dried cranberries with 1/4 cup of flour, add them to the dough, and mix on low speed until incorporated.
- Turn the dough out onto a board dusted generously with flour and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin, and roll the dough to just under 1 inch thick. Small pieces of butter should still be visible in the dough, and you should keep shifting it on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round cutter, plain or fluted, and cut out circles of dough. Arrange the scones on the prepared sheet pan. Gather the scraps, roll them out, and cut additional circles.
- Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, sprinkle them with granulated sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones should feel firm to the touch. Let them cool for 15 minutes, then whisk the confectioners' sugar with the orange juice and drizzle the glaze over the scones.
