1021. BACON and CREAM CHEESE SCONES

makes 10 to 12 scones


4-6 slices of bacon
1 cup sharp white cheddar, grated
1/2 cup parmesan-reggiano, grated
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder (yes, Tablespoons!)
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Fry up your bacon until it is quite crisp. Drain on a paper towel lined plate, and set aside. Combine the two cheeses in a bowl and toss with a fork to get them well mixed. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a medium to large bowl. Crumble the now cooled bacon into the flour mixture and stir to coat. Add the cheese, and mix well. Beat the cream with a whisk or mixer until you get medium soft peaks. Fold half of the cream into the flour mixture, mixing carefully. Try to get all of the flour off the bottom of the bowl. Then, mix in the other half of the whipped cream and fold in very gently. You don’t want to over mix the dough. Lightly flour a work surface, and carefully pour the mixture out onto the surface. The dough will probably still be a bit wet, with dry bits of flour here and there. Flour your hands, and carefully shape the dough into a 1 inch thick rectangle. Then, fold the dough in half over itself and flip it over. It should start to become somewhat moldable. If it seems too wet still, sprinkle a touch of flour on the top and shape and fold again. However, don’t do this too many times or you’ll kill the advantage of whipping your cream first. Once it will basically hold together, form a 3×16 rectangle about an inch or so thick. Cut the rectangle into triangles (about 10 to 12). Lift scones and place onto the parchment very close together. They should almost be touching, but not quite… maybe 1/4 or 1/8 of an inch between. This will help them keep their shape. Make a quick egg wash of a beaten egg and about 1 t of water. Then, lightly brush the scones with the mixture. A tiny bit of smoked salt sprinkled on top would be a nice addition at this point. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Scones should cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack.


courtesy of: Leslie Mackie's Macrina Bakery and Café Cookbook: Favorite Breads, Pastries, Sweets and Savories, by Leslie Mackie. Sasquatch Books, 2003