Lemon Lavender Scones with Lemon Glaze
Buttery, flakey, and moist scones flavored with lemon zest and aromatic lavender buds. Perfect for a brunch or an extra special afternoon treat.
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Scones are the perfect edition to a brunch to help it feel a little more special without all the fuss of waiting for dough to rise (cinnamon rolls, I’m looking at you).
If your only association with scones is that they absorb all moisture from your mouth in exchange for a faint flavor of cinnamon or a scant chocolate chip, then I do feel obliged to inform you that you have been mislead. Scones should be as flaky as the best biscuit you’ve ever had, and tender without being soggy or brittle. They should rise so that you can almost count the layers of pastry, and you should be able to tear them apart by layers if you please, perfect for dipping into tea or merely for separating the top from the bottom to save the frosted top for last (I can’t be the only one who does this).
Since you are here, there may be a chance of convincing you of what a true scone should taste like. Maybe the only reason you are here is that you tried another of my recipes and been assured that if the other one is good, this must be too (it is), or maybe you are scrambling to find something special for your next brunch or tea party and you think, “These sound interesting; hopefully this will do,” (it will).
This is the first, but will certainly not be the last scone recipe I will share, and I hope that in time you try all of the ones that I have enjoyed too. This recipe is an adaptation of a milk chocolate chip scone recipe from Paige at the Last Ingredient, and it is in my opinion after significant research, the most superior scone recipe of all time. I have likely made that recipe close to fifty times since first discovering it a few years ago, and it is occasionally (or more than occasionally) in rotation if I am looking for a more indulgent breakfast during the week. After baking it so many times, it was natural that I developed a few adaptations to it, including the cheddar and chive scones, cranberry orange scones, and flakey biscuit recipe, all of which are posted on my instagram page and will hopefully be posted soon here too.
This adaptation arose when I was asked to bake for a bridal shower for my daughter’s old nanny. The theme was a tea party in May. While I didn’t know how I would achieve this recipe when I said I could make it, I followed my instincts, and it came out wonderfully on my first try.
If you have even an inkling that you will make this recipe, and a spare stick of butter on hand, then toss it in the freezer now.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Scones are best baked fresh the day you plan to serve them. If you want to mix the dough in advance, you can do so and store in the fridge for up to three days. Any longer and the flour will start to absorb the moisture from the other ingredients, and the resulting scone will be stodgy, rather than flakey. Alternatively, you can make ahead and store for up to three weeks before the flour starts to absorb too much moisture. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking if you have frozen it.
What if I want smaller scones?
Scones slide and topple, losing their signature wedge shape if you cut them too small, so I have found the best way to get smaller scones is to double the recipe and divid into three. This results in scones that are about 33% smaller than the standard scones, and the perfect size for a brunch setting where there is a variety of food options. You could technically divide a single batch into two, but you would have to be very careful with the bake time as to make sure they don’t overbake and dry out.
My scones still turned out dry, what did I do wrong?
Very likely you added too much flour to your dough. If when you turned out the dough onto the surface to knead it but it didn’t stick at all to the surface, you likely over measured. Measure the flour by weight in grams using a kitchen scale (this is the one I use) next time (240 grams), or whisk the flour thoroughly to “fluff it up” before gently scooping it into your measuring cup and leveling with the flat side of a butter knife (not shaking to level).
The other possibility is that you over worked the dough when bringing it together. Remember to fold and press the layers together; you don’t need a rolling pin for this. There should still be a few cracks in the corners, and it doesn’t have to be a perfect circle (mine rarely are).
Why did my scones leak butter during the baking?
Most likely you didn’t chill the scones for long enough or let them sit at room temperature for too long before baking. They need to be chilled in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes (up to 60 or they may not bake evenly), or chilled in the fridge for one hour. Don’t take them out to cut until the oven is fully preheated or they might get too warm before baking. Making sure your ingredients (heavy cream, milk, and butter) are as cold as possible before combining the dough is another way to make sure the dough stays cold and the butter doesn’t soften before baking.
Can these be made gluten-free?
In my experience, pastry is really hard to get right gluten-free. My attempts at gluten-free pastry typically end up brittle, stodgy, leak out all of the butter, and have a weird aftertaste. Your best bet is using King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Bread Flour* mix, but it has wheat in it and is not safe for people with wheat allergies.
Getting the Perfect Glaze
When making the glaze for this recipe, you want to be really careful to not add too much liquid. Even an extra half of a teaspoon can turn the perfect glaze into a runny mess that slides off and pools on the parchment next to your scones instead of sitting on top of it. Start by adding the suggested amount of liquid (lemon juice), then slowly add 1/2 teaspoon more liquid at a time until it reaches the consistency of natural peanut butter. It will form a film if you make it ahead and let it sit, but you can revive it by putting it in the microwave for ten seconds and then stir until it’s all the same consistency again.
Ingredients you’ll need:
All Purpose Flour: The main ingredient for the dough
Baking Powder: Leavening for the dough
Unsalted Butter: A little goes a long way in this recipe, to provide the flakey layers
Sea Salt: To add dimension to the pastry and balance the sweetness
Granulated Sugar: For adding a touch of sweetness to the dough, so it doesn’t turn out too savory.
Lavender Flower Buds: These can be found at specialty grocery stores, but I usually just buy mine on Amazon. You can buy theme here too (affiliate link).
Lemon Zest: My favorite way to add lemon flavor to dough
Lemon Juice: For an extra punch of lemon flavor in the dough, and the essential liquid for the glaze.
Heavy Cream: This is the secret ingredient to giving the scones a flaky texture.
Whole Milk: Use whole milk if you can, but if you can’t, buttermilk or nonfat would work too
Powdered Sugar: To be used for the Glaze
Equipment Needed:
Large Mixing Bowl: For mixing the dough together
Glass Measuring Cup: My trusty 1 cup pyrex does the trick for this
Microplane Zester: I procrastinated getting this for the longest time, but use it almost daily now that I have one.
Box Cheese Grater: For grating the butter. Alternatively, you can cut into cubes and pulse in a food processer, but be careful not to overmix.
Rubber Spatula: For mixing the dough
Measuring Spoons: For measuring the dry ingredients
Kitchen Scale: For measuring the flour, if you have one already.
Baking Pan or Cookie Sheet: Use to bake the scones on. It doesn’t matter if it has rimmed edges or not.
Parchment Paper: For lining the pan before baking. I would avoid a silicone baking mat and bake straight on the pan since many silicone baking mats get too hot and can burn the bottom of the scone.
You can see the Kitchen Basics list on my Amazon Storefront for what items I would recommend using.
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Lemon Lavender Scones with Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
Instructions
- Start by putting a stick of butter in the freezer if you haven't already, for at least 15 minutes
- In a large bowl, zest the lemons into the sugar, and rub together with your fingers or a narrow rubber spatula until it resembles wet sand. Juice the lemon and set the juice aside for the dough and the glaze.
- Measure flour, salt, baking powder, and lavender buds into the bowl with the sugar and lemon zest and whisk together to combine.
- Grate the butter into the bowl, and whisk.
- Combine heavy cream, milk, and lemon juice (reserve remaining juice for the glaze) and pour into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix together with a rubber spatula until the dough starts to come together. Lightly dust the countertop with flour then turn out the dough onto it.
- Be very careful for the next few steps not to over-knead or your scones will come out dense instead of flakey; you'll want a few cracks to remain in the dough by the time your done. Once the dough comes together into a rough ball, flatten with your hands into a 8"x5" rectangle, then fold in half so that it is now a 4"x5" rectangle (I like to use a bench scraper to lift up the dough that I'm folding over).
- Add more flour to the surface if it seems like it's sticking, and rotate the dough by 90 degrees so that the long side is now closest to you. Flatten out to an 8"x5" rectangle again, repeating once more for a total of three folds.
- After the third fold, press the dough into a circle like shape, not minding if it's a perfect circle so you don't over work your dough.
- Cover tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- 30 minutes before you're ready to bake, move a baking wrack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the scones into 6 wedges by cutting in half, and then into thirds, making them as similar in size as possible.
- Place scones on prepared baking sheet, and bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes, rotating half way through.
- Once the scones are golden brown on the edges and spring back when you poke the thickest part, they are ready. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet or cooling wrack.
- While scones are cooling, prepare the glaze.
- Combine powdered sugar, salt, and reserved lemon juice in a medium bowl and whisk. Add up to 2 more teaspoons to reach desired consistency, which should be like natural peanut butter.
- If there are lumps from the powdered sugar or you let the glaze sit too long and it forms a crust, microwave for ten seconds and whisk again until the crust/lump dissolve.
- Once the scones are only warm to the touch or cooler (about ten minutes after being out of the oven), use a large dinner spoon and scoop a portion onto a scone.
- Spread out using the back of the spoon, and sprinkle the lavender buds on it before the crust forms
- Repeat until all the glaze is gone or scones have been frosted.
- Scones are best enjoyed the day they are made, otherwise you can reheat gently in the microwave or toaster oven (on foil so the glaze doesn't melt off and make a mess) for up to two more days.
Notes
*Affiliate link
I can sometimes find lavender buds in the grocery store, otherwise I order them on Amazon here*.
If you want smaller scones, I have found doubling the recipe and dividing into thirds works the best; cutting the scones smaller does not work well.
Instead of kneading dough on my counter (which is hard to tell if it's clean because it's a dark color), I like to knead dough on a silicone baking mat or a rimmed cookie sheet.
Glaze should not be runny, more the texture of natural peanut butter.
