Awesome Thing (That I Made!) – Scones That Are Flaky not Cakey

When did flaky scones become a thing?

Growing up in Nova Scotia, scones in our house were always fried. We had tea biscuits, which are the closest in texture to what we now refer to as a scone, but they were dense and cakey, never flaky with discernible layers. We had heard of Southern biscuits, which were known to be flaky, and were served with savoury foods such as chicken and gravy, but they never graced our plates. If a bread product made an appearance at supper it was a nice white dinner roll, or possibly brown bread (made with molasses).

But the flaky scone is what we’re all after here in Toronto. I’ve no idea if flaky is what they go for at Betty Windsor’s house, but here, we can’t get enough of those layers and layers of rich, buttery dough. There are a few places now to buy gorgeous flaky scones, and it was after reading an interview with the owner of shop Baker & Scone that I resumed my search for a decent recipe.

You see, I’ve been looking for a flaky scone recipe for years. Everything I’ve ever tried before turned out to be more the texture of cake. Fluffy, tasty, but no lovely layers. It was from an article in the Toronto Star where Baker & Scone owner Sandra Katsiou revealed her secret:

All scones begin with flour, Stirling Creamery butter and buttermilk, “to make them lighter,” Katsiou says. The resulting dough is folded into layers, like puff pastry; without eggs or baking soda to help them rise, the scones become flaky from the air trapped between the layers.

Ah ha! I always figured it was about making layers (yet I’d never seen a recipe that mentioned it). And buttermilk “biscuits” are a staple of the South. So I explored the Internet, looking for flaky scone and flaky buttermilk biscuit recipes to see what worked. The recipe below is closely based on this one from Fine Cooking in terms of ingredients. I’ve reworked the instructions a fair bit.

I’ve tried this recipe half a dozen times, altering liquid amounts and emulating Katsiou’s eschewing of other leavening agents, so I can say conclusively that this works as written. But you absolutely must follow the directions and ingredients to the letter. Absolutely buttermilk and not regular milk – the recipe needs the acid from the buttermilk to rise. Cold things must be cold, hot things must be hot. Spacing of scones must be even to create the best rise.

Also, before you make these, go out and buy a new container of baking powder. Then mark your calendar to replace that thing once a month, regardless of how much is left. Buttermilk freezes well – pour the remainder into containers pre-measuring the correct amount so they can be just barely defrosted before going into your dough.

This recipe works equally well for sweet or savoury scones (do not remove the sugar when making savoury items) as long as additional ingredients remain on the dry side, as anything too wet (such as fresh fruit) will throw off the moisture level.

Flaky Buttermilk Scones