Scones Go Stale Quick—Right here’s The way to Hold Them Recent and Tender Each Time

Since I shared a handful of my favourite scone recipes (chocolate, lemon-blueberry, and savory ham ‘n cheese), a whole lot of people have been asking: How properly do they freeze?

Years spent working in tiny eating places and bakeries with subsequent to no freezer area imply I’ve discovered to rock an ultra-fresh ethos, so I wasn’t capable of converse from expertise. My instinctive thought was growth can be inhibited within the chilly, arduous dough, limiting its capacity to rise. However a longtime reader assured me that frozen scones behave fairly properly, so I needed to place my recipe to the take a look at.

For the management, I opted for a batch of my primary chocolate scones, largely as a result of I needed to eat them. The wheel of dough began out just below an inch thick; after baking, the scones rose to about one and 1 / 4 inches on the very edge and round one and three-quarters inches within the center. This type of rise offers the scones a pleasant, mild texture that is neither cakey nor dense.

To check out how properly the dough would maintain up in chilly storage, I ready two extra batches of scones. I rolled, reduce, and wrapped each wheels in plastic, then put one within the fridge and one within the freezer, the place they remained for twenty-four hours.

The refrigerated dough wanted the identical period of time to bake, and rose about the identical general, however with a barely deformed form, as the perimeters of every wedge appeared to soften sooner and droop alongside the best way. To my shock, this did not translate into any textural issues in any respect. The completed scones appeared a bit derpy, to make sure, however they have been nonetheless mild, tender, and completely crisp on prime.

Since I already knew the refrigerated dough was inclined to “wilt” within the oven, I made a decision to bake the frozen dough immediately quite than thawing it within the fridge. In addition to, assuming the purpose is comfort, a recent batch of scones may very well be whipped up within the time it takes to thaw the dough, so why hassle?

In comparison with the recent and refrigerated batches, the frozen dough unfold out a bit extra because it baked, creating attention-grabbing cracks alongside the highest, however it was nonetheless finished in the identical period of time general. Whereas the form wasn’t as properly outlined as that of my regular scones, the frozen dough provided an enormous increase in comfort that made any visible defects appear trivial. Lesson discovered! So, what’s the easiest way to freeze scones?

Lower the dough into wedges, however skip toppings like cheese or sugar—the latter will solely draw moisture from the scones and switch syrupy and peculiar over time. Wrap the wedges, whether or not individually or as a wheel, in just a few layers of plastic wrap, then as soon as extra in foil to assist present a little bit of insulation towards odor absorption (one of many greatest issues when freezing something, from selfmade ice cream to cookie dough). Mark the date on the foil with a Sharpie so your scones aren’t misplaced to the sands of time, then freeze and use inside two months. While you’re prepared for recent scones, simply preheat the oven and bake as directed.

Since scones stale quite shortly as soon as they’re baked, this trick is very helpful within the quick time period, permitting you to take pleasure in freshly baked scones at their prime all weekend lengthy.

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April 2017