My husband, Dayn, has been traveling down to SF every work week since July. It has been strange not having him around during the week but the upside is that I have had more time for baking. Thanks to all of the travel miles he has racked up over the months, I was able to fly down to SF for free last week. After spending a few days exploring the city and toning my butt to Cindy Crawford status thanks to the SF hills, I was ready to stay in and bake for a day. Thankfully, Dayn works in an office full of hardworking, pastry hungry creatives so I knew the goods would be appreciated.
We are staying in a classic SF rowhouse on a painfully steep street near the top of Potrero Hill. The apartment is a sun-filled dream with a panoramic view of downtown and the Bay Bridge, I could seriously get used to this place. But, I would also have to get used to a tripled house payment every month.
It has a lovely marble filled kitchen with a limited hodgepodge of IKEA utensils. For my first baking experience in the bay, I figured I would start out with something simple to make by hand, scones. Incorporating the maple syrup I had picked up for brunch with our beloved cousins the day before, I decided on Cinnamon Maple Walnut Scones. With no pastry knife, I had to channel my inner pioneer and use the old butter knife trick to cut in the butter.
Turns out, I much prefer this method for scones. The inconsistency in the dough made for crumbly Cinnamon Maple Walnut Scones, with a crunchy outer shell and a soft tender center, just the way they should be. They had character and depth. I drizzled the warm scones with a cinnamon maple glaze and they were off and ready to be served with the first pot of communal office coffee.
The Cinnamon Maple Walnut Scones turned out to be a big hit at D's office. In fact, one satisfied pastry lover insisted on paying for the scone he had because he was so pleased (thanks for your support Mr. G!)
It seems that sunshine and elbow grease may be the secret ingredients I've been missing over the long Portland winter. These Cinnamon Maple Walnut Scones are simple to make, even if you don't have fancy tools. Give them a try and let me know how yours turn out!
Recipe
CINNAMON MAPLE WALNUT SCONES
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6
Description
Hearty and crumbly scones get wrapped in a blanket or warm richness in these Cinnamon Maple Walnut Scones.
Ingredients
Scones
- all-purpose flour - 2 ½ cups
- baking powder - 1 tablespoon
- granulated sugar - ¼ cup
- ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
- salt - 1 teaspoon
- unslated butter - very cold - ½ cup (1 stick)
- walnuts lightly toasted and coarsely chopped - ½ cup
- eggs - 2
- buttermilk - ½ cup
- maple syrup - 2 tablespoons
Egg Wash
- egg - 1
Cinnamon Maple Glaze
- powdered sugar - 1 cup
- maple syrup - 2 tablespoons
- ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
- cream - a splash
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Measure flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a bowl with high sides.
- Dice the cold butter into 1⁄2” cubes. Using either a pastry blender or the two butter knife method, cut the butter into dry ingredients until butter pieces are the size of peas or large pearls. Gently Mix in the walnuts.
- Whisk eggs, buttermilk and maple syrup together.
- Add two-thirds of mixture to dry ingredients. Gently mix the dough just until it comes together before adding remaining buttermilk mixture; it should be a little rough and scrappy.
- Scrape the dough from sides and bottom of the bowl using a spatula and mix again to incorporate any floury scraps. Do not overmix, there should be visible chunks of butter and flour.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, it should come out of the bowl in mostly one piece. Gather and pat it 2 to 3 times to get the dough to come together. Don’t knead the dough, you want it to be rough because this will give the scones depth and texture.
- Gently form dough into one 7”-8” disk or two 3”-4” disks, about 1” thick. Cut the disk(s) into 6 pie-shaped wedges.
- Lightly whisk egg. Brush the scones gently with egg wash.
- Place scones on a sheet pan lined with Silpat mats or parchment paper, leaving 1”- 1.5” between the scones. Bake in the middle of the oven, 30 to 35 minutes for large scones or 20 to 25 minutes for small scones. Rotate the pan(s) front to back and rotate racks, halfway through the baking time. The scones are ready when they turn a rich golden brown.
Glaze
- Sift the powdered sugar and cinnamon into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add maple syrup and cream. Whisk until smooth. The glaze should run off of the whisk in a thick flowy ribbon. If the glaze is too thin, slowly whisk in more powdered sugar. If the glaze is too thick for slowly add more maple syrup or cream.
- Once scones have cooled, drizzle the glaze over the scones. Allow the glaze to set up for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from the basic scone recipe from the The Grand Central Baking Book: Breakfast Pastries, Cookies, Pies, and Satisfying Savories from the Pacific Northwest's Celebrated Bakery
.
Y'all must buy this book, it's a serious game changer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
