These savory scones are deeply satisfying, with rich umami notes of Gruyère, ham and scallions. The recipe comes from Tanya Bush, the pastry chef at Little Egg restaurant in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. At the restaurant, Bush uses locally milled flour, which gives it a nutty note, but for home cooks, Bush suggests substituting a little all-purpose flour for whole wheat, as we’ve done below . Bush also recommends putting the cheese in a food processor – the irregular bits distribute throughout the dough and melt perfectly. We used a mini food processor to make cleanup easier and found that pulsing the ham also gave great results in less time. (If you prefer to mess with just one appliance, you can chop the cheese and ham by hand, but it will take longer.) For best results, use plain country ham – not Black Forest or honey-glazed – but if that’s all you want. can find, the scones will still taste delicious.
At Little Egg, Bush uses Calderwood cheese, sold exclusively at Saxelby Cheesemongers, but Gruyere cheese is much easier to find.
Get ahead: Scones can be prepared up to the egg browning stage and refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month. To freeze, place the scones on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight container. If baking from frozen, let the scones sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, then brush them with egg wash and bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 37 minutes.
Or buy: Scones are best when still slightly warm, but can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. If stored, they taste best after being gently warmed in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes.
Ingredients
Servings: 12 (makes 12 scones)
Directions
Active: 40 minutes
|Total: 1h50
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Step 1
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
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2nd step
Cut the cheese and ham into large pieces and pulse each in a mini food processor – in batches if necessary – until finely chopped. Transfer each pulsed batch to a medium bowl; you can combine the cheese and ham in the same bowl. (You can also finely chop both ingredients by hand.)
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Step 3
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt just to combine. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter pieces are pea-sized, 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture will have a sandy appearance, but will still contain a lot of loose flour and will not look like dough yet. Pinch a piece of butter with your fingers – it should hold together.
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Step 4
Make a well in the center of the mixture to see the bottom of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk. Mix on low just to combine, stopping the mixer once or twice and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate the dry ingredients. Add the Gruyère, ham and green onions and mix over low heat just to combine, being careful not to overmix. The dough will be rough, shaggy and quite sticky – and will come together as you shape the scones.
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Step 5
Using a #8 (4 ounce/120 milliliter) dish or 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop out wrapped portions of dough and arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Using your hands, shape each mound into 2-inch-high cylinders, about the size of a lemon; each should weigh around 130 grams. (Work quickly so as not to reheat the butter. If you find your spoon-shaped scones are too sticky/soft to work with, refrigerate the portions for 15 to 30 minutes, or until firm, then shape them into cylinders as shown above.)
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Step 6
Transfer the molds to the refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow the scones to firm up and help them retain their shape (no need to do this if you were going to refrigerate them before shaping them). Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the egg with the cream until well combined.
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Step 7
Generously brush each refrigerated scone with the egg wash. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds and a little flaky salt. Bake one sheet at a time – keep the other sheet in the refrigerator – for 30 to 33 minutes, or until golden brown and shiny, turning the sheet back and forth after 15 minutes. (You may see some grease build up around the scones as they bake; this is okay.)
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Step 8
Remove from the oven and let the scones cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve hot or at room temperature. Repeat with remaining scones.
Replacements
Instead of Gruyère >> try a sharp cheddar, Comté or fontina.
No green onions? >>Chives or Chinese chives.
Remarks
The easiest way to cut your butter into cubes is to use a scraper – not your knife – to cut it. Cut the stick of butter in half lengthwise; rotate a quarter turn and cut lengthwise again. You should have 4 narrow sticks of butter stacked in a 2×2 arrangement. Cut the sticks with a scraper into 1/2-inch cubes.
