Baking: Scones of Deliciousness

I was reading this blog post on Barbara Bakes the other day and she was discussing different types of scones. I love scones. I remember my sister made a batch of cheddar scones and they were so good that they lasted about 15 minutes. All that remained were some crumbs on the plate. And in that blog post, Barbara mentions a type of scones that I have renamed “Scones of Deliciousness”. Why Deliciousness? Well, these scones have not just cheese, but green onions and……

wait for it……

BACON!!! Arrghhh! As if scones weren’t good enough, we had to add smoked, cured pork that is crispy and salty and nummy. And that is not a typo. Nummy is even better than yummy.

Anyway, I had to find a recipe for these Scones of Deliciousness, and I found one by Emeril Lagasse. I know, I know, I’ve already discussed kicking it up a notch and “Gollick!” in a previous post, but I have to give Emeril his props for this one. It turned out really, really well. And the house smelled AMAZING! A few turned out a little raggedy, but that was really my fault. I was trying hard not to overwork the dough, so I sacrificed neatness for flaky, tender, layered scones that you would step over your own mother to get (Sorry, Mom!).

One thing, though. I did need to use more cream than the recipe called for as it was too dry. You don’t want the dough too sticky, but it needs to come together. And I am proud to say that I did this entire recipe by hand. No stand mixer or food processor for this puppy! On second thought, maybe you should keep all puppies away from kitchen appliances…

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon, sliced into matchsticks

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1/2 cup green onions, finely sliced

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream (I ended up using about 1 1/2 cups of cream + 2 tablespoons)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Chop the bacon into matchsticks and cook until crispy. The colder the bacon is, the easier it is to slice. You can even throw it into the freezer for 20 minutes or so before slicing. After it has achieved the desired level of crispy-ness, remove with slotted spoon and place on paper towels to dry.

2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut butter, cheese, onions and pepper into the flour with a pastry cutter or a fork. Break it in until it gets crumbly and the butter is roughly the size of smallish peas.

3. Add cooled bacon and cream. Mix gently until it comes together. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH. You want scones, not little bricks. Split the dough in half and form into round discs. Using a bench scraper or a knife, cut into 8 wedges.

4. Using a spatula, place onto a cookie sheet. Don’t separate them too much, as keeping them fairly close together will help them rise evenly. Brush with the 2 tablespoons of cream. Do this gently, as it should be a little crumbly.

5. Bake for 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Try not to weep at the intoxicating aromas that fill the house. Let them cool slightly on the sheet pan before serving. Serve them warm.

That’s it. All you need to quickly throw together a nice little nibble for afternoon tea or a snack before bed. Someone in the comment section mentioned using them as a base for a breakfast sandwich, which sounds insanely delicious. They’re rich, buttery, flaky and flavourful. I will definitely be making these again!