“Bacon Up” Some Savory Scones
It is not surprising that I love scones. Scones are the British version of biscuits and as you all know, I am obsessed with biscuits. I will go in search of two things on my travels, BISCUITS and PIE. Yep, I have been known to detour far and wide for either. I may not go out of my way for a scone (who am I kidding, yes I will), but if I happen on a bakery and they have scones, that’s what will be sitting next to my cup of joe. At home, my favorite scone recipe is from Dorie Greenspan. Tender, crumbly, buttery, a touch of sweetness-downright delicious. Make it with currants for a classic cream scone, or change it up and add orange zest and dried cranberries or my personal favorite, lemon and wild blueberries.
But this post takes a walk on the savory side. Recommended by my friend Mary, baker extraordinaire-Bacon, Cheddar, Chive Scones from King Arthur Flour are seriously addicting. That first bite fills your mouth with buttery crumbs, chunks of golden cheese, flecks of green chives, and then…wait for it..sweet, salty, crispy, bits of BACON. Hello? Are you smacking your lips right now? You should be.
These are quick and easy to make and you can freeze the unbaked scones, take them out in the morning, throw them in the oven and voila, 30 minutes later, you are enjoying freshly baked warm scones.
After cutting the butter into the flour mixture, add your flavor bombs.
Add cream and fold, smoosh the dough together and form a disc approximately 1 inch thick, cut into wedges. Do not overmix, but the dough should come together when pinched. Add cream in tablespoon increments if necessary.
Confession. The first time I made these was on a whim. I opened the door to my fridge, hmmm, no chives, scallions will have to do. What? No heavy cream, you’re kidding… well, I do have half & half, why not? The trifecta of substitutions, I had a medley of cheese, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella no cheddar.
Last minute bakers cannot be choosy.
The scones turned out fine. Light, great bacon flavor, definitely a keeper and I saved all those calories using half-half. Not bad!
The next time I was prepared-heavy cream, pastry flour, chives, sharp cheddar cheese…you betcha’. This scone was a bit denser and moister, I could taste the sharp cheddar and overall the scone seemed richer.
Both scones were delicious. So I leave it to you. For a richer scone use heavy cream, for a lighter scone use half & half but definitely use sharp cheddar cheese for flavor. I might even add some chopped jalapeno next time to spice it up a bit. Woohoo!
**Alert** If you are a purist do not read the next paragraph. The recipe calls for approximately a cup of chopped bacon. That’s a lot of bacon. You COULD oven-bake or pan-fry (all that splatter, ugh) the half pound of bacon and crumble it into bits, OR you could go to Costco and buy ready to use REAL bacon bits. We are not talking imitation Bacobits but real bacon. Snap, So EASY.
Bacon-Cheddar-Chive Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Pastry Flour Blend either works fine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons cold butter
- 1 cup very coarsely grated or diced cheddar cheese grated works well
- 1/3 cup snipped fresh chives or finely diced scallion tops the green part
- 1/2 pound bacon cooked, cooled, and crumbled (about 1 cup)* see text above
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream or whipping cream or enough to make the dough cohesive
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle to upper third. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly, with some of the butter remaining in larger pieces.
- Mix in the cheese, chives, and bacon until evenly distributed.
- Add 3/4 cup of the cream, stirring to combine. Try squeezing the dough together; if it's crumbly and won't hang together, or if there are crumbs remaining in the bottom of the bowl, add cream until the dough comes together. Transfer the shaggy dough to a well-floured work surface.
- Pat the dough into a smooth 7" disk about 3/4" thick. Transfer the disk to the prepared baking sheet. Use a knife or bench knife to cut the disk into 8 wedges, spreading the wedges apart a bit on the pan.
- Brush the scones with a bit of cream; this will help their crust brown.
- Bake the scones in the middle or upper third of the oven for 22 to 24 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan.If they brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
- Refrigerate any leftover scones, well wrapped, for several days; reheat before serving. Freeze for longer storage.