Tall Buttermilk Cream Scones
Tall, buttermilk scones with a craggy golden top, cut thick before baking and served warm alongside clotted cream for an afternoon treat.
Height was the goal with this scone, so the dough gets patted into a thick block instead of the usual flatter round. Grating frozen butter straight into the flour keeps it cold longer than cubing it by hand, which is what lets the scones rise so tall in the oven. Serve them warm with clotted cream and a hot cup of coffee.
Ingredients
Method
Tap a number to mark a step donePreheat the oven to 400F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper before you begin mixing.
Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl before adding butter.
Toss the grated cold butter through the flour mixture with your fingers until it is evenly coated and distributed throughout the bowl.
Whisk the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract together, then stir into the dry ingredients just until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and pat it firmly into a tall 6 inch square, about 1.5 inches thick; cut into 8 rectangles.
Arrange the scones well apart on the prepared sheet, brush the tops with buttermilk, and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.
Bake the scones 22 minutes until tall, deeply golden brown, and firm to the touch on top and sides.
Let the scones cool slightly on the sheet, then serve them warm alongside a small bowl of clotted cream.
Kitchen note
Grate the butter on a box grater straight from the freezer and work quickly; keeping it in small, cold pieces is what gives these scones their height.
