Savory scones are a favorite of many at the mill, and these ones rank way up there – the bits of chorizo and gruyere making them more like a light meal than a sweet treat. And, if chorizo’s not your thing, any other firm, cured meat should work – cooked bacon/lardons, Italian salumi or pepperoni – as long as the pieces are complementary to the final size of the scone. Either way, paired with scrambled eggs and a strong cup of coffee for breakfast or with a piece of fruit as a light lunch, these savory scones will fuel your day with a full belly and a happy heart.
From a flour perspective, this scone has a lot going on, for good reason! The low-protein pastry flour gives the scone a super light, melt-in-your-mouth texture (the perfect compliment to the otherwise heavy flavor) while the touch of whole wheat flour adds a bit of whole-grain nutrition. And, right in the middle, the all-purpose flour (malted if you use our Organic Beehive) is the steady workhorse of this formula. If you don’t have pastry flour on-hand, you can sub all-purpose if you’d like.
Note: Once you get started, if you find yourself wondering why we keep reiterating to keep everything cold, here’s why: To achieve buttery, flaky scone-based bliss, you need to keep the little bits of butter intact until the moment the dough is placed in the oven.
Formula
Number of Units: 6 Scones / Unit Weight: 150 grams / Total Weight: 900 grams
| FINAL DOUGH | Baker’s % | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Organic Unbleached Pastry Flour | 59 | 200 g |
| Organic “Beehive” All-purpose Flour | 24 | 82 g |
| Organic Whole Wheat “Hi-pro Fine” Flour | 17 | 58 g |
| Baking Powder | 1.5 | 5 g |
| Baking Soda | 0.9 | 3 g |
| Salt | 0.9 | 3 g |
| Black Pepper, fresh-ground | 0.9 | 3 g |
| Butter, ½” cubes | 38 | 130 g |
| Buttermilk | 71 | 242 g |
| Chorizo, diced small | 24 | 82 g |
| Chives, diced small | 2.9 | 10 g |
| Gruyere, grated | 24 | 82 g |
| Total | 264 | 900 g |
| TECHNICAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mix Type | Hand – with butter knives, a bench scraper, or pastry cutter | ||
| Pre-shaping | Rectangular block, approx. 12″l x 4″w x 1.5″h | ||
| Shaping | Cut into 6 equal triangular pieces | ||
| Baking* | 20–35 min @ 350˚F or until golden brown | ||
*Baking time and temp can vary depending on oven.
Timing
Active Time: 20–30 min / Inactive Time: 1 hr, 20 min / Baking Time: 20–35 min
Process
Prep
Measure and sift all dry ingredients together. Add the cubed butter into the flour mixture and toss to coat the butter lightly in flour. Place in a large mixing bowl in the freezer or refrigerator to keep the ingredients cold.
Measure the buttermilk and also place under refrigeration to keep cool.
Place the cured meat, chives, grated cheese in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make an egg wash with one beaten egg and a pinch of salt.
Mix
Once all the ingredients are measured and cooled, take the flour and butter mixture and begin cutting the butter into the flour using two butter knives, a bench scraper, pastry cutter, or your hands. Blend together while trying as best as possible not to warm the butter. Note: If you’re using your hands and you have warm hands, you can always toss the mixture back in the fridge to cool when you’re done.
Once the butter has been incorporated into the flour mixture it should look like loose sand with pea-sized chunks of butter.
Make a well in the center of the flour butter mixture and add all the liquid (do not add the meat and cheese just yet!). Begin working from the outside of your flour/butter and liquid volcano and slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the buttermilk to form a rough dough.
Before the dough is fully incorporated add the meat/cheese mixture. Incorporate this gently into the dough while finalizing the mixing and making sure there are no dry spots of flour remaining. Do not overwork the dough at this point! Mix just until the liquid has absorbed the flour.
Shape the dough into a block approximately 12″ long x 4″ wide x 1.5″ tall.
Brush liberally with egg wash, but not so much that you create omelets on top of your scones. After applying the egg wash, feel free to sprinkle with more gruyere if you’re feeling cheesy – we apparently were when we shot the photos 😉
Divide the dough evenly into triangular pieces and transfer to a plate or sheet tray and put in the freezer. Allow to cool for at least 60 minutes to prevent the scones from spreading too much during baking. Note: to store your scones for baking at a later date, once frozen, wrap them in plastic and place in freezer bags. They will keep for up to 3 months this way.
Bake
When ready to bake, preheat your over to 350˚F, place the scones a couple inches apart on a parchment-lined tray, and bake for 20–35 min (or until golden brown).
Allow to cool for ~10 minutes (if you can wait) before digging in to fresh, warm scones! Serve with butter if you’re feeling decadent 🙂
FROM THE MILL
