Lemon flavored baked goods are really one of life’s greatest gifts. I definitely think there is a case for chocolatey indulgences but there is just something so wonderful about the light and tangy flavor of lemon. It’s summer in a bite.
Now, scones. Sweet sweet baby scones. And flaky scones to boot. This is an extra special way to make scones. Sure, you can just mix, cut, and bake. But to take these to the next level, these beauties are going to get some lamination. Lamination means layers of perfect flaky dough. We achieve this by performing a letter fold on the dough a few times. If you don’t know what this means, don’t worry, I am going to walk you through it in a moment.
Okay, let’s get into the nitty gritty here. These scones are almost painfully easy to make thanks to the wonderful invention of the food processor. You don’t need a food processor to make these, good ol’ fashioned hands will work just fine. But, if you have a food processor, these are going to almost appear as if by magic.
First, start with some cold butter and give it a rough dice. Then, put that in a bowl and put it in the freezer and let it cool even more for about 10 minutes while you gather all the rest of your ingredients. Next, place your dry ingredients and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor and give it a few blitzes. Now, add your cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand or has pea size crumbles. With the processor on, add the heavy cream slowly until the dough just comes together.
Okay, here is an important step in the process. Take a whiff of this wonderful mixture you just made. Inhale the lemony goodness that you just produced from thin air. Pat yourself on the back. This is crucial to the structure of the crumb in the scone. Don’t skip this step.
Alright my loves, you have a choice in the process right here. A metaphorical fork in the road. If you are on a tight schedule, you can roll this out about an inch thick, cut, and bake. You will have a happy belly and happy friends if you chose to share. No judging if you don’t.
But, if you have a little time, I highly recommend you take the time to make these flaky by performing a few letter folds. Here’s how this goes:
Letter fold how to:
- Roll your dough into a rectangle 8 inches by 12 inches and approximately 1 inch thick.
- Fold one short end 1/3 of the way and the opposite short end 1/3 the other way; similar to how you would fold a letter to put in an envelope.
- Rotate the dough 90 degrees and roll out into the same dimensions. Perform the letter fold again.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This helps cool the butter after it has been handled by your lovely warm hands.
- After it has cooled, roll the dough out into the same dimensions and repeat the process 3 times.
This is going to create the beautiful lamination, or layers that make these scones flaky. It may seem precarious and it takes a little time, but I promise, it will be worth it.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll your dough one more time into the same dimensions. With a bench scraper (or a knife, you do you) cut the dough long ways in half. Next, cut your dough vertically into 4 equal pieces. You should now have 8 squares that measure roughly 4 inches by 3 inches. Cut each square in half diagonally to get 16 triangles. Phew. Glad that’s over.
Place your scones on a parchment or sil pat lined baking tray about an inch apart. These generally spread up and not out so they don’t need to be too far apart. Brush the tops with some heavy cream. Bake these beauties for about 15- 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F.
While your scones are baking, whip up some lemon glaze. Mix your powdered sugar with some freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix. Done.
Once the scones are done, cool them completely on a wire rack and then zig zag the glaze over top.
Enjoy these lovelies by themselves, or whip up a batch of blueberry blackberry jam and enjoy the pair together. Either way, savor the fruits of your labor and then go take a nap.