Receta Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
Tip #4: We are not making bread! Don't be tempted to knead the dough! Pat, pat, pat. Trust me, we don't want to work the gluten in the flour, or we'll have hockey pucks for scones.
When I posted recipes for my Strawberry Scones or Harvest Pumpkin Scones, I show how I shaped the dough into a circle, and then cut them into wedges.
This time, I wanted to make mini scones, so I shaped the dough so that I cut squares and then cut each one into a triangle.
A bench scraper makes this easier to do.
Spread each scone, evenly, on either parchment paper or a Silpat Mat.
Tip #5: Freeze the scones. Yes, freeze them for at least 10 minutes. Tips #1 & 2 explains why this is a good thing.
I set two timers-- one for 15 minutes, and another for 12 minutes. I wanted to be sure that I didn't burn the scones. At 12 minutes, they weren't golden brown, yet. So 15 minutes did the trick. Look! Puffy!
While the scones were baking, I made a glaze of powdered sugar, the juice of the zested lemon and 2 Tablespoons of half & half cream. NOTE: In my first batch, I made a glaze with melted butter, instead of half & half, but found that the butter muted the lemon flavor. I prefer a glaze that I can easily drizzle over a scone, so add the half & half (or you can use heavy cream or whole milk) a little at a time. Here's the COOLEST TIP YET: Balance a cooking rack over your kitchen sink (carefully, obviously)...
That way, when you spoon a glaze, the mess drips right into your sink-- no tray to wash, no parchment paper to waste.
Easy cleanup!
This is the first batch of glaze, made with melted butter instead of half & half. It's thick, but as I've said, I felt it muted the lemon flavor. It was good, but...
I made a thinner glaze and spooned it over warm scones. NOTE: I forgot to sift the powdered sugar, for this batch, hence there are clumps of sugar. Simply esthetic flaws, but the flavor was great.
Once the scones had cooled, I added one more layer of glaze. Perfect!
TASTING NOTES FOR BATCH #1: As I first mentioned, I forgot to add sugar to my first batch. However, the thicker glaze saved the day. I was disappointed, and my son reluctantly said that these were "okay". Craig, on the other hand, ate them all and said he liked that they weren't sweet.
I couldn't stand it-- I had to make another batch, and tweak the recipe a bit. I decided to switch sour cream for buttermilk, because I felt that my first batch of scones had a texture that I wasn't crazy about. This time, I added the sugar, and made the glaze without butter.
TASTING NOTES FOR BATCH #2: Bingo! Redemption tastes sweet. In this case, the sugar made these scones just sweet enough. I loved that the lemon flavor really took center stage. The scones were tender and I am happy with this version. That is not to say that Our Best Bites recipes isn't good. It is-- sometimes, a tweak or two is a good thing. In this case, I can say that this recipe is adapted from "Our Best Bites". Thanks for the inspiration!
By the way, I froze half of my second batch of scones. The following Saturday, I took them from the freezer into a 400F oven, and they turned out perfectly! This is a great tip for planning ahead-- or, in my case, not being tempted to eat all of them at once.