Brushing scones with double cream before baking them is the key to ensuring they come out of the oven wonderfully soft and tender, according to cookbook author Danielle Rye, founder of Live Well Bake Often.
Why Cream Keeps Scones Soft
Rye said: “When it comes to soft scones that don’t dry out, heavy whipping cream is the best option. A little cream brushed on top of the scones before they go into the oven creates a beautiful slightly crisp and lightly browned exterior too.”
Scones can often dry while being cooked due to the flour, which tends to absorb a lot of moisture when exposed to heat and can cause the dough to turn out really chewy. Whipping cream, known as double cream in the UK, contains a lot of moisture and fat, which coats the flour particles to help keep the dough soft.
How to Make Better Scones
You will need: 250g of all-purpose flour, 65g of granulated sugar, one tablespoon of granulated sugar, half a teaspoon of salt, 85g of cold unsalted butter, 120ml of double cream (plus extra for brushing the tops), one large egg, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
To begin, preheat the oven to 200C and line a tray with baking paper. Place the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk everything together until completely combined and then add the butter. Use a pastry cutter or fork to work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a crumb-like texture.
In a separate bowl, add the double cream, egg and vanilla extract. Stir together until fully mixed then pour into the dry ingredient bowl. Mix everything together and then scatter some flour onto a clean work surface. Pour the scone dough out and work it into a ball.
Chilling and Baking
Next, flatten the dough into a circle, cut into eight equal-sized pieces and then place onto the prepared tray. Put the tray into the freezer for 10 minutes to chill the dough and then brush the scone tops with some double cream.
Place in the oven for 18 to 22 minutes until the scones have risen and tops look golden brown. Leave them to cool and you will have some perfectly fluffy and tasty scones.
