Albanian Butter Scones Recipes

ULTRA-BUTTERY IRISH SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk milk, granulated sugar, and kosher salt in a medium bowl until sugar and salt dissolve. Whisk flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut 10 Tbsp. butter into 1/2" cubes, add to flour mixture, and blend with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until pea-size pieces form with some larger chunks remaining. Add milk mixture and stir with a fork until large clumps form. Gently knead in the bowl until dough just comes together. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface.
• With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough to a 14x8" rectangle, with long side facing you. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a small, microwave-proof bowl in the microwave until softened but not melted, about 20 seconds. Spread evenly over dough with fingertips, then sprinkle currants evenly on top and press to adhere. Fold up bottom third of dough over center, then fold down top third to meet bottom edge, as if folding a letter. Fold in half crosswise, then, using a rolling pin, gently flatten into an 8x4" rectangle.
• Cut dough in half lengthwise and in quarters crosswise to form 8 even squares. Transfer to prepared pan, spacing 2" apart. Sprinkle tops generously with demerara sugar and lightly with flaky sea salt.
• Bake until scones are golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt remaining 4 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When butter bubbles, remove from heat and skim off foam from surface. As soon as the scones come out of the oven, lightly brush tops with clarified butter, leaving behind white solids in bottom of saucepan. Cool scones on sheet on a wire rack and serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

ALBANIAN BUTTER SCONES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 360F.
• 2. Thoroughly mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Pour into stand mixer bowl.
• 3. Whisk together yogurt, eggs, melted butter and vanilla and add to the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl.
• 4. Starting first on low, begin mixing the dough. After a minute or so, turn up the speed to medium and mix, just for a few seconds to meld everything together. The dough will be a bit stiff.
• 5. Remove from mixing bowl, knead a few turns on the countertop, then roll into a long, even log.
• 6. Cut this log in half, then cut each of those into 3. Cut each of those in half, ending up with 12 equal pieces of dough.
• 7. Now, roll these 12 pieces into balls and place the smoothest side up on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking tray.
• 8. Whisk together the third egg and 1 tablespoon melted butter and lightly brush this onto the rolls. (There will be leftover, just discard.)
• 9. Place brushed rolls in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until they are a light golden brown and slightly squishy in the middle. Cool on a rack, but please try one while still warm!

CLASSIC SCONES WITH JAM & CLOTTED CREAM

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the self-raising flour into a large bowl with ¼ tsp salt and the baking powder, then mix.
• Add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the caster sugar.
• Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 secs until warm, but not hot. Add the vanilla extract and a squeeze of lemon juice, then set aside for a moment.
• Put a baking tray in the oven. Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife - it will seem pretty wet at first.
• Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it's a little smoother. Pat into a round about 4cm deep. Take a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. You may need to press what's left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four.
• Brush the tops with a beaten egg, then carefully arrange on the hot baking tray. Bake for 10 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and clotted cream. If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a low oven (about 160C/140C fan/gas 3) for a few minutes to refresh.

ULTIMATE SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C and lightly butter a baking sheet (unless you're using a non-stick sheet). Tip the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt. Shoot in the butter, then rub together with your fingers to make a reasonably fine crumbed mixture, lifting to aerate the mixture as you go. Try not to overrub, as the mixture will be lighter if it's a little bit flaky. Now stir in the sugar.
• Measure the buttermilk, then mix in the milk to slacken it. Make a bit of a well in the middle of the flour mixture with a round-bladed knife, then pour in most of this buttermilk mixture, holding a little bit back in case it's not needed. Using the knife, gently work the mixture together until it forms a soft, almost sticky, dough. Work in any loose dry bits of mixture with the rest of the buttermilk. Don't overwork at this point or you will toughen the dough.
• Lift the ball of soft dough out of the bowl and put it on to a very lightly floured surface. Knead the mixture just 3-4 times to get rid of the cracks.
• Pat the dough gently with your hands to a thickness of no less than 2cm and no more than 2.5cm. Dip a 5.5cm round fluted cutter into a bowl of flour - this helps to stop the dough sticking to it, then cut out the scones by pushing down quickly and firmly on the cutter with the palm of your hand - don't twist it.You will hear the dough give a big sigh as the cutter goes in. Gather the trimmings lightly then pat and cut out a couple more scones.
• Place on the baking sheet and sift over a light dusting of flour or glaze if you wish. Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack, uncovered if you prefer crisp tops, or covered loosely with a cloth for soft ones.
• Serve with strawberry jam and a generous mound of clotted cream (Cornish people put jam first, then cream, Devonians the other way round). Eat them as fresh as you can.

EASY SULTANA SCONES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Tip the flour and butter into a large bowl. Gently start to rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips, allowing it to fall from a short height above the bowl. This will incorporate air into the scones, making them beautifully light. Continue doing this until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add a pinch of salt, the sugar, sultanas, eggs and enough milk to bring the mixture together into a soft dough. The amount of milk will vary accordingly to the size of the eggs, softness of the butter and temperature of the room. Be careful not to overwork the tough or it will become tough.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Generously flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out to a 2cm thickness. Cut into squares or triangles using a sharp knife, then transfer the scones to the prepared baking tray, spacing them apart to leave room for spreading. Brush the tops with a little milk, then bake for 10 mins. Leave to cool until just warm, then serve with clotted cream or butter and jam, if you like.