How to Make Great Scones

It's early morning and I'm making mini scones (about 6 dozen) in preparation for a meeting...pumpkin, cinnamon chip and golden raisin. A good flavor combination considering the season. Crunched for time, I'm resorting to my favorite box mix, Iveta Gourmet, which has me out of the kitchen and on my way in an hour. I love that mix!

As I'm patting and cutting 4 bowls of dough, I'm thinking of the many times I've served scones only to hear this comment, "These are scones? But they taste so good!"

While I appreciate the compliment, scones aren't difficult to make. The appeal of a good scone is in the texture as well as the taste. It should be a little crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. So without further comment, here are my tips for tender, flaky scones.

1. Use cold butter or margarine and cold milk.

2. Scones are basically a sweet biscuit, so follow the same golden rules: Don't overmix and handle the dough as little as possible.

3. When rolling out the dough, use as little flour as possible and roll to about 1/2 inch thick. Remember to handle the dough as little as possible. I've found that patting out the dough with my hand allows me to use less flour. And a thicker dough means your scones will get a nice rise instead of looking flat.

4. Cut out small scones instead of large. I use a 1-2 inch round cutter. It's a great size that your guests will appreciate since it allows them to sample more of everything instead of filling up on one big scone.

5. Don't overbake! I know this is obvious, but still important. Check on your scones a few minutes before they're supposed to be done. Oven temperatures can vary, so in general, I make a habit of checking for doneness early whenever I'm baking. Remember, you can always bake a little longer if needed, but overbaked is...well, you get the idea.

Tip: Ovens vary in temperature and may have hot spots. My oven heats up about 25 degrees hotter than the temperature on my dial and is hotter in the back than the front. My friend's oven is hotter on the bottom half. You can determine true oven temperature by using an oven thermometer. If you turn your oven to 400 degrees F and the thermometer reads 425 degrees F, your oven runs hotter by 25 degrees. In this case, the temperature can be managed by reducing the temperature on the dial to 375 degrees F. Hot spots can be found easily by baking cookies. Look at the location of cookies that are getting brown faster and you've found a hot spot. Hot spots can be controlled by rotating pans. For example, it your hot spot is in the back then turn your pan 180 degrees half way through baking. If your hot spot is in the bottom half of your oven, rotate your pan on the lower rank to the upper rank half way through the baking time and be sure to keep a close watch on anything baking on the lower rack.

6. Oh, and did I say don't overmix and handle the dough as little as possible? This is so important if you don't want tough, dry scones. The whole idea is to leave small pieces of cold butter suspended in the dough so that you get a tender texture on the inside and a little crunch on the outside. If you knead the dough, the kneading action and the warmth of your hands will melt all the cold little butter pieces.

7. Make your scones the morning of your event. Remember, scones are basically biscuits, and therefore, will get stale more quickly. If you're crunched for time, make your dough the night before or use a mix. Iveta Gourmet is my favorite with consistently good results*.
* A note on Iveta Scone Mixes: The box says to use heavy cream, but I use 6 Tbsps. softened butter or Imperial margarine and 1/3 cup cold whole milk. Tip: Use the one of the Make Ahead Options listed in the recipes below to save time.

8. For extra table appeal, sprinkle your scones with coarse sugar before and after baking. You can use raw sugar, demerara sugar, turbinado sugar or decorative sugars. I pick up decorative white sugar crystals from our local cake decorating shop and keep a vanilla bean in the sugar for extra aroma and flavor. This is a really neat tip that takes the presentation to a whole different level!

- If you're crunched for time, don't be afraid to use a scone mix. There are some good mixes on the market. As I mentioned, my favorite is Iveta Gourmet. With a mix, you can have scones and tea ready in about 30 minutes.

If you're looking for a good scone recipe instead of a mix, I recommend the recipes below.