Cinnamon Bun Scones

There's nothing else like a cinnamon bun, especially in the Fall. The distinctive aroma of cinnamon fills the air on those cool mornings, but when time is short, it's not always possible to wait for yeast dough to rise, so the next best thing is taking that memory and transferring it to something that bakes up quicker--Scones.

A scone is a quick bread, hailing from Scotland and has been part of my baking experience with the passing of my great grandmother's recipe to me.  Here in the United States you can find scones most everywhere, but I have to say, after traveling to Great Britain for our 25th anniversary in 1993, I learned the correct way to pronounce what I had been baking all those years.  Here's the verse that will help you too:

"I asked the maid in dulcet tone,

To order me a buttered scone.

The silly girl has been and gone,

And ordered me a buttered scone."

My mornings (and days) have been pretty hectic with work, but I have my three favorite characters who probably appreciate my baking the most...at least the day-old goodies.

Meet Heckle and Jeckle

...and Jake 

As soon as the sun is up, they're waiting for a treat and honestly, since I don't use preservatives, it makes me feel good that I'm not just throwing out my baked goods.

Cinnamon Bun Scones

Filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (or grated)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 T cinnamon

Dough:

4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

1/3 + 1 T granulated sugar

2 T baking powder

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, grated

1 cup dried cranberries (raisins or currants)

1/2 tsp. ground Tahitian vanilla powder

1 large egg + half-&-half to equal 1 3/4 cup of liquid

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tsp. light Karo syrup

2-3 T very warm water

Preheat oven to 375F-degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients together.  Add the grated unsalted butter and mix just until the butter is dispersed in the dry ingredients.  You should still have some piece of butter throughout.

Add the cranberries (or your choice of dried fruit) and the ground Vanilla Bean powder.  If you don't have powder, add two teaspoons of vanilla extract to the liquid measure with the cream and egg.

In a 2-cup measure, beat the egg lightly with a fork, then, add the half-&-half to measure 1 3/4 cups of liquid.  While the mixer is running on low (speed #2), slowing add the liquid to the dry ingredients.  As soon as the dough comes together, stop the machine and scrape the "shaggy" dough onto a lightly floured board.

Very carefully, knead the dough to a smooth disk, then roll out to a 12" x 17" x 1/4" thick rectangle, adding only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the board and the rolling pin.

Arrange the filling over the dough, leaving about 1/2-inch border clean of filling around.  Use an off-set spatula to spread the filling over the dough.

I started with the long side away from me and tightly rolled the dough towards me, using a bench scraper to make sure it wasn't sticking to the board.

Cut the "log" in half, then each half into 6 pieces.  I placed six scones on each baking sheet, pressing lightly with my fingers to flatten each one.

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes on two racks, then switch pans--the upper pan to the lower rack, the lower pan to the upper rack, and bake another 7-10 minutes until golden brown.

Let cool slightly while you make up the glaze.  Pour the glaze over the still warm scones, drizzling as shown.

Now brew a pot of tea and invite your best friends to partake--catching up with what everybody has been up to this week...

...thank goodness for all my blogging friends who share what they've been up too.  It really does make me feel like we're a family. Enjoy!