Smooth-surfaced scones?

Sparks

So, a technical question: how do you avoid getting a craggy surface to your scones like this one:



And instead get a satiny finish to your scones, like the M&S scones:



Because I've been trying and it's annoying me. I get soft, nice-tasting scones, but the surface texture just isn't what I want...

And yes, I know the first one there is wholemeal, but I get that effect with white flour and cake flour too; and yes, I'm eggwashing.
My current recipe is:

• Oven on to 220C
• 150g tritayml flour, 200g cream plain flour, 1 tbsp baking powder sieved into the mixing bowl.
• Add 60g castor sugar, 1 tsp salt and stir in with pallette knife.
• 70g shortening + 30g butter cut to small cubes and left in the freezer for ten minutes, then rubbed into the butter (with hands that have been held under running cold water for a few minutes to cool down).
• 100ml double cream + 100ml buttermilk mixed and left in the freezer for ten minutes with the butter&shortening, poured over the dry ingredients and cut into them using the pallette knife until it starts to clump and the flour's come away from the bowl and you have a rather rough-looking dough.
• Turn out onto lightly floured surface and kindof pat it into a flat round about an inch thick (no kneading) and roll lightly once or twice to even the surface (literally just one roll or two rolls - you're evening the surface, not pressing the dough)
• Flour a 2" cutter and cut out rounds and put them on a parchment-lined pan so they just barely touch.
• Take the remnants and lightly knead them once or twice to reform a second flat round and do all that again ; repeat until all the dough is used or there's not enough to make one scone. I get about ten scones from that.
• Egg wash the top (1 yolk, equal quantity of water, whisk) avoiding the sides as much as possible.
• Put in oven, turn heat down to 200C and bake for ten minutes, spinning the pan at the 5 min mark. Transfer to rack to cool.
• Swear copiously at the craggy surface and the amount of sidewards spread and lack of upward rise, all while enjoying the taste and nice soft texture.
• Start thread on boards to ask for help with the surface texture.

The Hill Billy

Moved to Cakes & Bakes.

tHB

Dizzyblonde

I thought the secret was to brush the tops with beaten egg before baking them but you're already doing that. Maybe adding an egg to the mix instead of cream?
I'm intrigued now, I want to know the answer too.

Edit: According to this recipe you should bake them upside down, and glaze them twice: http://www.likeastrawberrymilk.com/2012/05/not-unlike-living-in-cotton-scones-scones-scones/

phormium

Firstly it would not bother me that my scones do not look like a mass produced factory made product.

You can probably get a smoother scone but I doubt it will be as nice, cut down the amount of fat to flour, scrap the cream, it gives a very soft texture (nice to eat but you want smoothness), use milk and an egg and knead the mix slightly, just enough to get a smooth surface tucking in the sides like you would for bread until you have a smooth ball, then pat it flat for cutting out. Then glaze and bake.

Bear in mind that commercial oven usually give a better more evenly browned finish too so you are never going to replicate the look of a supermarket scone, thankfully I would have thought

Sparks

It's not so much the look phormium - it's the mouth feel. I really don't like the craggy texture, it's not what I always thought a scone should be.

Rosy Posy

I would double the baking powder if I were you- it gives a much better rise.

phormium

Then you definitely need to reduce the fat proportion, the more fat the more towards a shortcake texture the scones will be which I think is the craggy texture you don't like. Bought supermarket scones I find much more bread like in texture which I think is because there is a much lower fat content (definitely not butter), kind of a cross between soda bread and a home made scone.

dudara

Sparks wrote: »

It's not so much the look phormium - it's the mouth feel. I really don't like the craggy texture, it's not what I always thought a scone should be.

The funny thing is that I think those shop bought scones are too smooth. My grandmothers' & mother's scones are always a little craggy - it's what I consider the sign of a home-baked scone.

pwurple

dudara wrote: »

The funny thing is that I think those shop bought scones are too smooth. My grandmothers' & mother's scones are always a little craggy - it's what I consider the sign of a home-baked scone.

Same here, smooth for me is a scone-fail!

Aimeee

Sometimes I cut the scone, land on the baking tray, then flip it over so what will be top of your scone will be flattened a bit by having been on flat surface. Then brush with egg wash.
I started doing this a while ago (I can't remember why, I think maybe a rogue scone wasn't behaving) but it gives a tidier scone.

Edit: I sometimes cut with a knife, square cut, flour knife well, it'll give you more of an m&s shape. I'm sure there's a rachel Allen clip of this out there as that's where I saw it first.

phormium

Paul Hollywood advises turning them upside down after cutting to give a better surface, tried it and it gives a less rounded shape to the top rather than the side cut with the cutter which obviously rounds the edges when pushing down. They might rise slightly better that way which is the only advantage I see.

suki14

I don't use tritamyl flour at all, I think that may be your problem.
I just use cream flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, a little wheat germ, a little bran, sultanas & orange rind/chopped apricots (& flaked almonds for the top) demerara sugar, give it a good sift through twice at least to get the air into it... I pinch in the butter, and take time to lift the flour mix and air again....then add in one egg and buttermilk and drop of cider vinegar into the centre. Bring together with a metal spoon. ..Put some flour into a small flour sifter, grease my tins with butter, grab my scone cutter...

I take a desert-spoonful of dough out at a time and just shape them into a round sifting a tiny little bit of flour over top if needed. I only touch them 4 times while shaping them.
Then I use the scone-cutter, lay them on the tray and brush them with one beaten egg. I sometimes scatter them with flaked almonds (or not). Then into a pre-heated 220'c fan oven.. On opening the door to place the two trays in usually drops the temp down to 200'c which is perfect. 15-18 mins later they're done. I leave them on a cooling rack with a light cotton tea-towel wrapped over them to keep the tops soft.

This is my grandmother's recipe..hope the cider vinegar helps for the top and the least handling of the dough while shaping them the better. Also the tea towel over top stops the top hardening too much while cooling on the rack.