Earl Grey Scones with Lemon Glaze

5 from 1 vote

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These Earl Grey scones are an indulgent treat for your breakfast or tea. The butter and cream make them soft and sweet. Rolling them out makes them flaky and a bit like American biscuits. And the lemon glaze provides a sweet tang to balance it all out.

Prep Time40

Cook Time18

Total Time58

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: British

Servings: small scones

Calories: 178kcal

Author: Joanne Stekler

Equipment

Stand mixer

Ingredients

Earl Grey scones

4½ cups (600 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon loose Earl Grey tea (or 2 tablespoons from 4 tea bags)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 cups heavy cream

Lemon glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice plus more as needed

Instructions

Earl Grey scones

Preheat the oven to 400°F (250°C)
Combine the flour, sugar, Earl Grey tea, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the mixing bowl.
4½ cups (600 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon loose Earl Grey tea (or 2 tablespoons from 4 tea bags), 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
Add the butter and mix on low speed for 1 minute until the butter is flattened but remains as large pieces.
1 cup (8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½ inch cubes
Add the cream and mix until the mixture just starts to come together.
2 cups heavy cream
Turn the mixture out onto a clean, lightly floured countertop, and knead very briefly just until the dough comes together uniformly.
Roll the dough out into a rectangle 1 inch thick, approximately 8 by 12 inches. But don't worry about being too exact here.
Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter, and rotate it 90 degrees.
Repeat the prior step, rolling the dough out, folding it into thirds, and turning it 90 degrees, for a total of four turns. The edges will become straighter and more even with each turn.
After the last turn, roll the dough out one last time to a rectangle of 8 by 12 inches. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut the dough lengthwise so you have two 4 by 12 inch rectangles. Then cut each 4 by 12 rectangle three times crosswise so you now have eight 4 by 3 inch rectangles. Finally, cut each rectangle along the diagonals into four small scones.
Lay out the 32 triangles on two baking sheets covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are just starting to brown and the scones feel slightly firm.
Remove immediately from the baking sheet and cool on a rack.

Lemon glaze

Whisk together the sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add additional lemon juice as needed to thin out the glaze so that it can be thickly poured onto the cooled scones.
1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Notes

The technique used in making these Earl Grey scones shares similarities with making pie crust and puff pastry. The main thing to remember is that you'll want to keep your butter cold.

Loose tea has larger tea leaves and a stronger flavor than the ground tea in tea bags. That's why you use only half the amount if you have loose tea.

Glazes are easy to make with any liquid. Sub in other juices, milk or cream, or even some Earl Grey tea, and adjust the consistency so it is just pourable.

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