Apple Cheddar Scones

For years I have been searching for an apple scone recipe that seemed worthy of the effort. I’ve tried lots of different ones that I thought they were too heavy, too bread-like or sadly tasteless. I even tried to add apples to my favorite, never-fail, berry scone recipe, and the results were disastrous. But finally, I think I have found (with a bit of help from our daughter, Tracy) a recipe that might be worthy of The Great British Bake Off. It comes from the website Smittenkitchen.com and is adapted from a recipe by Bill Yosses. The apple and cheddar make a perfect pair; and because you bake the apple first, the dough stays rather dry and crumbly like a good scone should. I made them with both 20 Ounce and Wolf River; the Wolf River made for a drier and chewier scone while the 20 Ounce scone was moister and showed off more of the apple flavor. John thought I should have added even more apples.

Ingredients:

  • 2 firm, tart apples (1 lb) - peeled and cored

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour (6.75 oz)

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 1½ Tbs for sprinkling (2.2 oz total)

  • ½ Tbs baking powder (7 gr)

  • ½ tsp salt (3 gr) plus additional for egg wash

  • 6 Tbs (3 oz) unsalted butter - chilled and cut into ½” cubes

  • ½ cup (2.25 oz) extra sharp cheddar - shredded (white is recommended)

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream (2 oz)

  • 2 large eggs

Directions:

  1. Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with butter.

  2. Cut the apples in half horizontally, and then cut each half into 8 even-sized chunks. Place them in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Bake them until they begin to brown and feel dry to the touch. This should take about 20 minutes. They should still be firm and only half-baked.

  3. Let the apples cool completely. If you are in a hurry, you can put them in the fridge. (In a rare moment of planning ahead, I baked the apples the night before so they were cooled and ready to turn into scones for breakfast.)

  4. When the apples are cool, turn the oven back on to 375°. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

  5. If you have an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, place the butter in the bowl of the mixer along with the apples, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the top. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together. Don’t overmix.

  6. If you don’t have a stand mixer, rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers and a pastry blender, chop the apples into bits with a knife, and mix in the rest of the ingredients with a wooden spoon until combined. This is more work, but there is less chance of overmixing.

  7. Coat your counter top with flour, and scrape the dough onto it. Sprinkle more flour on top. Use your hands to pat the dough into a 6” circle that is 11/4” thick. Cut into 6 wedges. Transfer onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Leave 2” between the scones - they are going to spread out as they bake.

  8. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, and sprinkle them with the remaining 1½ Tbs (or less) of sugar. Bake 30 minutes until they are golden brown.

  9. Cool the scones on a wire rack for 10 minutes before eating.

  10. You can make these ahead and freeze them unbaked. When you remove them from the freezer brush them with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and put them directly in the oven. They will only need a few extra minutes to bake when they are frozen. This way, if you want them for brunch, you can still sleep in and impress your guests.

  11. Eat these the day they are baked.

  12. Here’s a suggestion from shareholder, Stacey, on how to revive your day-old scones. “It requires a microwave, small pyrex or other microwave-safe bowl, hot water and a microwave plate/splatter cover. Put some hot water (1/4 cup or so) in the pyrex dish and place it on the turntable in the microwave. Put a scone on a small microwave-safe plate and also put it on the turntable in the microwave. Cover both the pyrex dish and the plate with the scone in it with a microwave plate/splatter cover so it covers both dishes at once (or at least as much of both dishes together as you can). Set your microwave for 30 seconds on full power (Stacy’s microwave uses 1000 watts) and start. The scone comes out fluffy, and not dry at all. The flavor of the apples also comes more to the front like it had when just freshly cooked. ”