Lemon Scones for a Morning Plate

Lemon Scones for a Morning Plate is filed under Scones and built around all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and lemons zested. Plan on 12 scones.

Count on 20 minutes of prep, 25 minutes of cooking, 3 hours of resting, about 3 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 lemons zested
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup unsalted butter cold, cubed
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• Heavy cream for finishing
• White sparkling sugar for finishing

How the cooking goes

1. Zest the lemons directly into the granulated sugar and keep it to one side. The longer this sits, the more pronounced the lemon flavor will be.
2. In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, lemon sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix on low just to distribute.
3. Put the cold cubed butter and mix on low until fully incorporated and the mixture resembles coarse, damp sand with no visible butter pieces remaining. Run your hands through the bowl to check.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and heavy cream until the texture looks smooth. Add the lemon juice immediately before adding to the dough.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the cream mixture then mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
6. Scrape the dough onto plastic wrap, press into a disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
7. Roll or press the dough to ½ inch thickness. For uniform scones, roll into a 6-inch square, divide into four 3-inch squares, and cut each diagonally into triangles. For rustic scones, press into a circle and cut 12 triangles. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 1 hour or overnight.
8. Heat the oven to 325°F convection or 350°F conventional.
9. Brush the frozen scones with heavy cream and sprinkle immediately with sparkling sugar, working 2 to 3 scones at a time so the cream does not freeze before the sugar goes on.
10. Oven-bake for 20 to 25 minutes, starting to check at 20 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers feel just set. Cool completely on the sheet pan.

After it comes off the heat

Cool the sheet on a rack before the pieces are stacked. A covered tin keeps them for a few days.

If you want another plate from Scones, open Carrot Cake Scones Baked Until the Center Springs Back and Chocolate Chip Scones Baked Until the Tops Crack.