topic Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans? in Recipes

Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

Honeybit — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 16:52:40 GMT

After watching the Father Brown mysteries on PBS, I've developed a craving for some of Mrs. M's "Award Winning Strawberry Scones". To my surprise I didn't find them on the Internet. Have any of you come up with a recipe that's worthy of a British bring-and-buy?

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

brbfromTX — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 17:24:16 GMT

On occasion, I have found some Orange/Cranberry scones at our local target store. I enjoy them after a meal with a cup of coffee or tea.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

JerryMouse — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 18:18:12 GMT

HoneyBit, I too love the British mysteries/crime shows. I enjoy Father Brown and am now watching Midsomer Murders on Netflix. I fantasize about owning a thatched-roof cottage in an English village with a beautiful garden! Everyone uses charming tea sets carried on trays and they always have biscuits or scones on a plate. I always get the urge to drink tea and have a cookie or scone when I watch. Wegman's has a nice selection of British teas and biscuits. I don't have a strawberry scone recipe, but I know the good ones use lots of cold butter and cream.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

sfnative — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 19:58:06 GMT

I've enjoyed both the current "Father Brown" series and the one that aired some time ago. Here's my go-to strawberry scone recipe, which is great this time of year. You'll note the addition of lemon zest, which is a perfect paring with the strawberries. .

Strawberries and Cream Scones

Ingredients

1/2 cup strawberries (cut into 1/4 inch pieces)
2 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 TB unsalted butter
2 tsp lemon or orange zest
1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into small cubes and blend with a pastry blender until it resembles small peas. Add the zest and strawberries. Then slowly and gradually add the cream while mixing with a fork.
As soon as the flour starts to come together into a dough, remove from the bowl and form into a ball. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead gently four or five times. Then shape with your hands (or a rolling pin) into an 8x10" rectangle. Cut the rectangle lengthwise into two 4x10" rectangles. Cut each of those into 6 or 7 triangles and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with softened butter, jam, creme fraiche or just as they are. Enjoy!

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

Lynneuk — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 19:59:02 GMT

America's Test Kitchen had a show a couple of months ago where they made British Scones and they looked very authentic. I think you have to have some kind of membership to access their recipes so if anyone has that could you please post the recipe? Thanks
What they mean by a strawberry scone is a fresh baked scone, cut in half and spread with butter then strawberry jam and topped with clotted cream.Delicious!

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

Lynneuk — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 20:07:56 GMT

I just tried and if you google " ATK British style scones' you can see the recipe.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

Honeybit — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 21:24:24 GMT

sfnative, thanks for your recipe; it sounds delicious and I love the thought of the lemon zest with the strawberry flavor.

Ohhh, Lynne, you heartless pusher -- you played right into my addiction to chasing down Google references. First, thanks for the information that UK strawberry scones don't have strawberries IN them, they have strawberries spread ON them.

For some reason, googling "ATK British Style Scones" on my system got no hits, but "British Style Scones" got quite a few, including the America's Test Kitchen / Cook's Illustrated Site. One hit was for the ATK Cooking School which let me read the Scone Recipe without needing a membership. It also had a lovely picture of an open scone spread with jam.

http://www.onlinecookingschool.com/school/courses/218/topics/1784

I also found this:

http://www.eatthelove.com/2013/02/honey-thyme-scones/

which in turn led to a site with five different ways to make clotted cream (stovetop, oven, slow cooker, double boiler, and cheater's):

https://www.theculinarylife.com/2011/clotted-cream-recipe/

Now, if I can just stop reading about them long enough to go make some!

Thanks for your UK viewpoint -- I'll try to format the ATK recipe and copy it in a second post for other British mystery fans.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

eddyandme — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 21:14:15 GMT

Strawberry Scones! Thanx! Love the Fr, Brown series!

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

Honeybit — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 21:20:24 GMT

British-Style Scones with Currants
(America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School)

The differences between American and British scones are much like the cultures from which they come. While rich, dense American scones are no-holds-barred, cakelike British scones show restraint. They feature far less butter and far more baking powder. Instead of a “the more the better” ideology when it comes to add-ins, British scones usually only include a smattering of currants. And while American scones are topped with egg wash and lots of coarse sugar, the British version uses a light milk-and-egg wash to add browning.

There are also differences in technique. For the cakelike texture of British scones that we were after, we rubbed butter into the dry ingredients so completely that it was no longer visible—no lumps, no flakes. Using soft, room-temperature butter make this process even easier, quicker, and more thorough. This produced scones with a finer, more even crumb.

For many baked goods that require rolling out the dough (biscuits, pie dough), rerolling scraps produces a tougher, more squat result. This is because the action of rolling creates a stronger, tighter gluten network—and too much gluten can negatively influence texture and rise. But our British-style scones offer more leeway. The butter is worked into the flour so thoroughly that it prevents many of the proteins from ever linking up to form gluten in the first place. Far from being a hazard, rerolling the second batch of dough merely encourages a little more of the proteins to link together, leading to a bit more structure and more lift in the oven.

Leftover scones may be stored in freezer and reheated in 300-degree oven for 15 minutes before serving. Serve these scones with jam as well as salted butter or clotted cream.

Total Cooking Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Preparation Time: 10 minutes Active Cooking Time: 20 minutes Yield: 12 scones

British-Style Scones with Currants

3 Cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour *

1/3 Cup (2½ ounces) sugar

2 Tablespoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon salt

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 Cup dried currants

1 Cup whole milk * *

2 Large eggs

Cut 8 tablespoons unsalted butter into ½-inch pieces and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.
Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pulse 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces) sugar, 2 tablespoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor until combined, about 5 pulses.
Add softened butter and pulse until fully incorporated and mixture looks like very fine crumbs with no visible butter, about 20 pulses.
Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir in ¾ cup dried currants.
Whisk 1 cup whole milk and 2 large eggs together in second bowl.
Set aside 2 tablespoons milk mixture.
Add remaining milk mixture to flour mixture and, using rubber spatula, fold together until almost no dry bits of flour remain.
Transfer dough to well-floured counter and gather into ball.
With floured hands, knead until surface is smooth and free of cracks, 25 to 30 times.
Press gently to form disk. Using floured rolling pin, roll disk into 9-inch round, about 1 inch thick
Using floured 2½-inch round cutter, stamp out 8 rounds, recoating cutter with flour if it begins to stick. Arrange scones on prepared sheet.
Gather dough scraps, form into ball, and knead gently until surface is smooth. Roll dough to 1-inch thickness and stamp out 4 scones. Discard remaining dough.
Brush tops of scones with reserved milk mixture.
Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake scones until risen and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
Transfer scones to wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve scones warm or at room temperature.

* This dough will be quite soft and wet; keep extra flour on hand to use to dust your work surface and your hands when handling the dough.

* * We prefer whole milk in this recipe, but low-fat milk can be used.

For a tall, even rise, use a sharp-edged biscuit cutter and push straight down; do not twist the cutter when punching out the scones.

(Sorry, I'll have to read up on the new format's system for including a picture -- I couldn't add it here.)

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

Lynneuk — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 22:16:45 GMT

Well done HoneyBit! I have very limited computer skills but I knew someone would be able to do it
So when should we come over for the tea party,lol? I'll bring the English tea and some miniature trifles

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

sfnative — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 23:26:12 GMT

@Honeybit wrote:
British-Style Scones with Currants
(America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School)

The differences between American and British scones are much like the cultures from which they come. While rich, dense American scones are no-holds-barred, cakelike British scones show restraint. They feature far less butter and far more baking powder. Instead of a “the more the better” ideology when it comes to add-ins, British scones usually only include a smattering of currants. And while American scones are topped with egg wash and lots of coarse sugar, the British version uses a light milk-and-egg wash to add browning.

There are also differences in technique. For the cakelike texture of British scones that we were after, we rubbed butter into the dry ingredients so completely that it was no longer visible—no lumps, no flakes. Using soft, room-temperature butter make this process even easier, quicker, and more thorough. This produced scones with a finer, more even crumb.

For many baked goods that require rolling out the dough (biscuits, pie dough), rerolling scraps produces a tougher, more squat result. This is because the action of rolling creates a stronger, tighter gluten network—and too much gluten can negatively influence texture and rise. But our British-style scones offer more leeway. The butter is worked into the flour so thoroughly that it prevents many of the proteins from ever linking up to form gluten in the first place. Far from being a hazard, rerolling the second batch of dough merely encourages a little more of the proteins to link together, leading to a bit more structure and more lift in the oven.

Leftover scones may be stored in freezer and reheated in 300-degree oven for 15 minutes before serving. Serve these scones with jam as well as salted butter or clotted cream.

Total Cooking Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Preparation Time: 10 minutes Active Cooking Time: 20 minutes Yield: 12 scones

British-Style Scones with Currants
3 Cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour *
1/3 Cup (2½ ounces) sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 Cup dried currants
1 Cup whole milk * *
2 Large eggs

Cut 8 tablespoons unsalted butter into ½-inch pieces and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.
Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pulse 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces) sugar, 2 tablespoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor until combined, about 5 pulses.
Add softened butter and pulse until fully incorporated and mixture looks like very fine crumbs with no visible butter, about 20 pulses.
Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir in ¾ cup dried currants.
Whisk 1 cup whole milk and 2 large eggs together in second bowl.
Set aside 2 tablespoons milk mixture.
Add remaining milk mixture to flour mixture and, using rubber spatula, fold together until almost no dry bits of flour remain.
Transfer dough to well-floured counter and gather into ball.
With floured hands, knead until surface is smooth and free of cracks, 25 to 30 times.
Press gently to form disk. Using floured rolling pin, roll disk into 9-inch round, about 1 inch thick
Using floured 2½-inch round cutter, stamp out 8 rounds, recoating cutter with flour if it begins to stick. Arrange scones on prepared sheet.
Gather dough scraps, form into ball, and knead gently until surface is smooth. Roll dough to 1-inch thickness and stamp out 4 scones. Discard remaining dough.
Brush tops of scones with reserved milk mixture.
Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake scones until risen and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
Transfer scones to wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve scones warm or at room temperature.
* This dough will be quite soft and wet; keep extra flour on hand to use to dust your work surface and your hands when handling the dough.
* * We prefer whole milk in this recipe, but low-fat milk can be used.

For a tall, even rise, use a sharp-edged biscuit cutter and push straight down; do not twist the cutter when punching out the scones.

(Sorry, I'll have to read up on the new format's system for including a picture -- I couldn't add it here.)

Referencing the bolded and underlined language above re the American topping of "lots of course sugar," I disagree to the extent that this is a rather new trend in the history of scones in the US. I'm 68 and was appalled when that awful coarse sugar came out. It found its way onto and into any number of baked goods and hot drinks. In my book that stuff has no place ever at all on a scone. It is simply dreadful.

I don't know who came up with the compare and contrast re British vs American, but that person was probably born in 1975 or was Martha Stewart.

There are some things that should be left alone and one of those things is what one does to the top of a scone. Less is more.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

house_cat — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 00:39:55 GMT

I use Annabelle White's recipe and instructions.

You can view the video by clicking here.

These scones are fantastic. I am asked to bring them just about everywhere these days.

If you make them with blueberries, as I often do, use the dried blueberries, not fresh ones.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

AuntG — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 01:10:24 GMT

Last year, I purchased some White Chocolate Raspberry scones from my Schwan's delivery person. They were so filling and tasted great with a cup of seasonal flavored coffee.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

Mellen2019 — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:05:24 GMT

sfnative,

I made this recipe and the scones were very salty. After comparing ingredients to other British scone recipes, I think the 2 tsp salt must be a mistake. With 3 tsp baking powder the salt would be 50% of that or even less. Some other recipes for Mrs. M's strawberry scones, the salt is 1/2 tsp.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

aroc3435 — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:52:21 GMT

@Honeybit Thank you for posting the America's Test Kitchen recipe and their explanation for the scones with help from @Lynneuk -- what a team!

I love watching all the PBS shows, Father Brown included. So glad I have access to three PBS networks--DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Going to watch Midsomer Murders two parter tonight on the MD PBS channel.

Makes me not quite as nostalgic for my PBS access where I used to work and live in southern Connecticut when I had access to Connecticut, New York City, New Jersey, and occasionally Long Island.

All of you on the recipes forum are so gracious and and take the time to come through, when possible, on requests from fellow posters.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

Susan Louise — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 22:21:50 GMT

I love all British shows and Father Brown is one of my favorites...along with As Time Goes By, Keeping Up Appearances, All Creatures Great & Small, etc. I think we have 10 different complete/full library DVD sets of many shows we enjoy.

As for those strawberry scones, you got me hankering for some now...LOL

I just found a low carb blueberry scone recipe online by 'Wholesome Yum' for DH and I. The only change I would need to make is adding sliced strawberries instead. I just printed it off and I will make them tomorrow morning. I already have all the ingredients.

Thanks for starting this thread @Honeybit !!!

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

deepwaterdotter — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 23:28:20 GMT

This is my grandmother's recipe. Don't overmix to keep the dough moist:

Scones:

1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp half & half

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

6 tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup diced fresh strawberries

Glaze:

3 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp water

Blend 1/2 cup strawberries, sugar, and half & half in food processor until smooth.

Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in big bowl. Blend butter with flour mixture using fingertips until largest crumbs are pea-sized.

Whisk egg and vanilla in food processor bowl with strawberry mixture. Stir into flour mixture until barely coming together. Gently fold in 2/3 cup strawberries. Use hands to form dough into shaggy ball.

Place dough on lightly-floured surface and divide in two. Gently press one half into 6-7" circle. Cut into 6 triangles and place on parchment-lined baking sheet 2" apart. Repeat with other half. Bake at 375 degrees until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Stir glaze ingredients in small dish until reaching the consistency of thick syrup. Add more water a tsp at a time if mixture seems dry. Drizzle over scones.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

hayseed00 — Sat, 20 Apr 2019 21:43:15 GMT

@AuntG I love the Schwan's brand of scones, they are so delicious !!! I have also purchased the King Arthur scone mix, very good.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

montananative — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 15:14:39 GMT

Have you tried Bisconies? Purchased cranberry orange bisconies at Costco.

Re: Scone Bakers? Father Brown Fans?

Bridgegal — Sun, 21 Apr 2019 20:46:09 GMT

@Honeybit wrote:
British-Style Scones with Currants
(America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School)

The differences between American and British scones are much like the cultures from which they come. While rich, dense American scones are no-holds-barred, cakelike British scones show restraint. They feature far less butter and far more baking powder. Instead of a “the more the better” ideology when it comes to add-ins, British scones usually only include a smattering of currants. And while American scones are topped with egg wash and lots of coarse sugar, the British version uses a light milk-and-egg wash to add browning.

There are also differences in technique. For the cakelike texture of British scones that we were after, we rubbed butter into the dry ingredients so completely that it was no longer visible—no lumps, no flakes. Using soft, room-temperature butter make this process even easier, quicker, and more thorough. This produced scones with a finer, more even crumb.

For many baked goods that require rolling out the dough (biscuits, pie dough), rerolling scraps produces a tougher, more squat result. This is because the action of rolling creates a stronger, tighter gluten network—and too much gluten can negatively influence texture and rise. But our British-style scones offer more leeway. The butter is worked into the flour so thoroughly that it prevents many of the proteins from ever linking up to form gluten in the first place. Far from being a hazard, rerolling the second batch of dough merely encourages a little more of the proteins to link together, leading to a bit more structure and more lift in the oven.

Leftover scones may be stored in freezer and reheated in 300-degree oven for 15 minutes before serving. Serve these scones with jam as well as salted butter or clotted cream.

Total Cooking Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Preparation Time: 10 minutes Active Cooking Time: 20 minutes Yield: 12 scones

British-Style Scones with Currants
3 Cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour *
1/3 Cup (2½ ounces) sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 Cup dried currants
1 Cup whole milk * *
2 Large eggs

Cut 8 tablespoons unsalted butter into ½-inch pieces and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.
Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pulse 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (2⅓ ounces) sugar, 2 tablespoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor until combined, about 5 pulses.
Add softened butter and pulse until fully incorporated and mixture looks like very fine crumbs with no visible butter, about 20 pulses.
Transfer mixture to large bowl and stir in ¾ cup dried currants.
Whisk 1 cup whole milk and 2 large eggs together in second bowl.
Set aside 2 tablespoons milk mixture.
Add remaining milk mixture to flour mixture and, using rubber spatula, fold together until almost no dry bits of flour remain.
Transfer dough to well-floured counter and gather into ball.
With floured hands, knead until surface is smooth and free of cracks, 25 to 30 times.
Press gently to form disk. Using floured rolling pin, roll disk into 9-inch round, about 1 inch thick
Using floured 2½-inch round cutter, stamp out 8 rounds, recoating cutter with flour if it begins to stick. Arrange scones on prepared sheet.
Gather dough scraps, form into ball, and knead gently until surface is smooth. Roll dough to 1-inch thickness and stamp out 4 scones. Discard remaining dough.
Brush tops of scones with reserved milk mixture.
Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake scones until risen and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
Transfer scones to wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve scones warm or at room temperature.
* This dough will be quite soft and wet; keep extra flour on hand to use to dust your work surface and your hands when handling the dough.
* * We prefer whole milk in this recipe, but low-fat milk can be used.

For a tall, even rise, use a sharp-edged biscuit cutter and push straight down; do not twist the cutter when punching out the scones.

(Sorry, I'll have to read up on the new format's system for including a picture -- I couldn't add it here.)

I haven't made these (too lazy) but I will say that having lived in England for 5 years and worked in a tea shop where everything but the sandwich bread was made by hand, I cannot abide American scones. They are nothing like English scones. They are heavy and dense and on the dry side.

The scones made by the owner in the tea shop where more like our bisquits. They were round NOT triangular and lighter. She made three: plain, cheese and raisin. They were absolutely fabulous. I'd kill for one right now. I watched her make them so many times but never got the hang of it.

Oh and there is NO sugar on top. Why do we Americans have to put sugar on everything?

Another wonderful English breakfast treat is a toasted teacake. And another is a rock cake. Check these two tasty treats out online.