Crème Fraîche Scones
Serves: approximately 14
 
Ingredients
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ cup crème fraîche
  • ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons cold heavy whipping cream, divided
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 large egg
  • Garnish: strawberry slices
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and lemon zest. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together crème fraîche, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add to flour mixture, stirring until evenly moist. (Mixture will look dry and shaggy.) Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough begins to form. (Dough will be firm. If mixture seems dry and dough won’t come together, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Avoid adding too much extra cream, though, or scones will not hold their shape when baked.)
  4. Turn out dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently until smooth by patting dough and folding it in half 4 to 5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough to a ¾-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cutter dipped in flour, cut as many scones as possible from dough, rerolling scraps as needed. Place scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and remaining 1 tablespoon cream. Brush tops of scones with egg mixture. Sprinkle tops of scones with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.
  6. Bake until edges of scones are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving
  7. Garnish each scone with a strawberry slice cut to resemble a heart, if desired.
Recipe by TeaTime Magazine at https://teatimemagazine.com/creme-fraiche-scones/