Zoë's Baking Academy: Scones
Your November challenge is here and there are MANY recipes to choose from!
Before I dive deep into scones, I want to tell you about a nifty way to buy Zoë Bakes Cookies in Bulk. I’ve had several requests from people wanting to gift the book to their employees, clients, and corporate associates. I am thrilled my publisher set up a way to do that, plus I can sign them and you get a DISCOUNT for buying them in bulk—yay! Follow the link for more information about the process, discount, signed copies, and how to order (it takes a couple of weeks, so plan ahead).
As we quickly approach the feasting season, I wanted to create a challenge you could use during the Thanksgiving holiday and the days before. Then I got Betül Tunç’s cookbook, Turkuaz Kitchen (affil. link), in the mail and her pumpkin scone recipe jumped off the page and inspired this month’s challenge. They are easy to make, all you need is a bowl to stir them in and they go together quickly enough to make early in the morning before your turkey goes in the oven. One of the greatest things about scones is you can make the dough, form the scones the night before, and pop them into the oven in the morning, so you don’t have to keep farmers’ hours to have fresh scones first.
Betül’s recipe is available to all of my “Extras” members and you’ll find that recipe at the bottom of the newsletter. There are more scone recipes, which are free and you’ll find them linked below in the Baking Academy Details. You’ll also find my Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to help you through the bakes.
The Baking Academy Challenge Prizes: I preordered Betül’s book back in the spring and was thrilled when she and her publisher also sent me a preview copy, which left me with an extra book. I will send this month’s winner of the Challenge a copy of Turkuaz Kitchen (affil. link) AND Zoë Bakes Cookies AND a Zoë Bakes Apron.
Zoë’s Baking Academy Details
Before November 30, bake one of the three FREE scone recipes found here (blueberry scones, squash + white chocolate scones, or caramelized white chocolate + peach) OR the Extras exclusive Pumpkin Scones below. Don’t forget to snap a photo and/or video of yours.
Show us your bake! Tag me (@zoebakes) in an in-feed post on Instagram or Facebook (it’s hard to track Stories and we may miss them) and use the hashtag #zoebakesacademy and/or #zoebakes. If you don’t use social media or your account is private, you can still participate! Send an email to stephani@zoebakes.com with a photo to let us know you’re in.
For an additional entry into the giveaway, rate and review the recipe you baked on ZoëBakes.com. Paid subscribers who make the pumpkin scones will automatically get a second entry.
Prizes! We’ll randomly draw a winner on December 1 and announce it that week on social media and in this email as soon as the winner has accepted. The winner will receive a signed copy of Zoë Bakes Cookies and Turkuaz Kitchen by Betül Tunç (affiliate link) and an Apron (this one is a surprise)!
Tips & Tricks for Great Scones
Scones are quite easy and quick to make. They’re a fabulous bake for kids to help with or, like my son Charlie, take full control of in the kitchen. ;) When he was 12 years old he started his own scone “business” out of our kitchen. Scones were his choice and he did the research for the best recipes. I learned a lot about recipe writing as I watched him try to figure out the meaning of certain baking terms. When he pulled out the blender we use for making smoothies because the recipe called for a pastry blender and he translated “rolling the dough into a circle and cut it into wedges” as rolling the dough into a log, then cutting the log into triangles, I knew photos were essential in a post or book, videos even better. He got there, with a little guidance from mom, but he kept his shaping technique and still does it that way today, nearly 12 years later.
Here are some of my tips and the equipment I use, but as always, I encourage you to play and make the recipes your own. If you want to experiment or make substitutions, I suggest starting with a half batch of the recipe until it is just as you’d desired.
Equipment
*denotes affil. link
Pastry blender* - for cutting in butter, also used in pie dough.
Danish dough whisk* - this is what I used to make the pumpkin scones.
Scone/Biscuit Cutter* - read below about how to use them.
Baking sheet(s)* - Use a heavy gauged metal baking sheet and double two up if you are making large scones or your oven runs hot on the bottom.
Keep it Chill!
The butter should be chilled, so it doesn’t melt into the flour as you are mixing. This will create flakiness in the scone, so it has some body to it and isn’t so tender it falls to bits as you eat it.
In some recipes, you will be chilling the dough as you work with it. This step can be added to any of the recipes, especially if you feel like the dough is getting sticky and hard to handle. If you bake chilled dough, it will take longer to bake.
If you are adding frozen fruit to scones that don’t call for it, you may need to increase the baking time.
No Twisting, Just Stamp: when you are cutting scones with a biscuit cutter, stamp straight down and don’t twist or you will compress the edges and they will not rise as well.
Round or Wedges: The rules are getting fuzzy here but generally speaking, round scones are what you find in England and Ireland. Wedges are a more American-style scone. You do you! I like them both ways and alternate depending on my whims.
Size Matters: Make sure all the scones on one baking sheet are the same size, so they bake evenly.
Hot Spots: This is true for all baking, know your oven. If the bottom tends to get hot or you notice a dark crust forming on the underside of the scone, double up the baking sheet. This is a great idea for the larger scones that will take more time to bake.
Separate or Togetherness: You can choose to bake the scones as individuals, so they are not touching, which results in a crusty outer layer all the way around. Or you can bake them touching, so they are softer and less crusty. Baking them all together may require a longer baking time. Press down on the thickest part of the scone, toward the center to see if it is done.
Freezer: You can freeze scones to bake later. If they are small, then bake straight from the freezer. If they are large or you are baking the entire circle as one (see blueberry scone recipe) then let them defrost while the oven preheats.
Betül Tunç is a phenom on social media. She has over 10 million followers, who watch as she gracefully glides through a recipe in her videos. Everything about her is thoughtful and soulful and her food looks delicious. She also stays so calm in the midst of what some may consider a challenging recipe, which is her appeal.
I’ve watched her videos, but reading her story in the book endeared her to me even more. The journey she’s taken from living in Turkey to creating a social media empire is fascinating and it was an unlikely story, given her quiet way. We think of success as being brash and loud, but she is the opposite and I think that’s her magic.
I chose this recipe as the first one to bake from her book because it matched the season so well and I adore both pumpkin and scones. The recipe is easy to follow and as is true with all the recipes in the book, she adds helpful notes to make sure the reader will have success. Her recipes include those she grew up with in Turkey, like kebabs, baklava, and my favorite when I visited Istanbul, Lahmacun, a lamb-topped flatbread that baked very hot and fast, then rolled up to eat. She also dives into French pastry and American classics with all of the base doughs we need to know how to make. The book is both accessible and thorough, plus her photography is gorgeous.
Exclusive Recipe: Pumpkin Scones
From Betül: Throughout my culinary journey, baking scones and biscuits has been a joyous experience. They’re simple to make and delightfully delicious. In fact, their flavor intensifies over time, making them the perfect pairing for autumn morning coffee.
