Savory Cream Scones with Cheese and Bacon

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I’m not sure what this says about us, but we received large packages of bacon this year from not one, but two different people. I mean big packages of bacon. Our freezer is brimming with bacon. Thick cut, apple wood smoked; peppered; Canadian-style. Come on over, and have some bacon… we have plenty to share!

Not that I’m complaining. I mean, what doesn’t go better with a bit of bacon in it? We quickly nibbled up two packages crisply grilled. Yum.

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Yesterday, I pulled out the Macrina Bakery sweet scone recipe and made a couple of changes to make a savory version of cheesy bacon scones. These scones, with their generous heaping of whipped cream, bake up extremely light. But don’t let their innocent looks fool you… they are energy (ie, calorie) power houses. Bacon, cream and cheese all in one. They are little triangles of indulgence and a perfect way to work on that beer gut or heart attack you’ve been looking for. Or maybe a good reason to go shopping for some new, less constrictive clothing. Oh, the joys of eternal optimism.

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Bacon and Cheese Cream Scones
(adapted from the Macrina Bakery Cookbook, p 62)
Makes 10 to 12 scones

4-6 slices of bacon
1 cup sharp white cheddar, grated
1/2 c parmesan-reggiano, grated
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
2 T baking powder (yes, Tablespoons!)
1 t salt
2 1/2 c heavy cream
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Fry up your bacon until it is quite crisp. Drain on a paper towel lined plate, and set aside.

Combine the two cheeses in a bowl and toss with a fork to get them well mixed.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a medium to large bowl. Crumble the now cooled bacon into the flour mixture and stir to coat. Add the cheese, and mix well.

Beat the cream with a whisk or mixer until you get medium soft peaks. Fold half of the cream into the flour mixture, mixing carefully. Try to get all of the flour off the bottom of the bowl. Then, mix in the other half of the whipped cream and fold in very gently. You don’t want to over mix the dough.

Lightly flour a work surface, and carefully pour the mixture out onto the surface. The dough will probably still be a bit wet, with dry bits of flour here and there. Flour your hands, and carefully shape the dough into a 1 inch thick rectangle. Then, fold the dough in half over itself and flip it over. It should start to become somewhat moldable. If it seems too wet still, sprinkle a touch of flour on the top and shape and fold again. However, don’t do this too many times or you’ll kill the advantage of whipping your cream first. Once it will basically hold together, form a 3×16 rectangle about an inch or so thick. Cut the rectangle into triangles (about 10 to 12).

Lift scones and place onto the parchment very close together. They should almost be touching, but not quite… maybe 1/4 or 1/8 of an inch between. This will help them keep their shape.

Make a quick egg wash of a beaten egg and about 1 t of water. Then, lightly brush the scones with the mixture. A tiny bit of smoked salt sprinkled on top would be a nice addition at this point.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Scones should cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack.

0 thoughts on “Savory Cream Scones with Cheese and Bacon

  1. Bacon–what a great present! Our favorite bacon-cheddar bread is a skillet-baked cornbread, with bacon bits mixed into the batter, split in half and filled with grated cheese. I look forward to trying the combination in scones.

  2. “Scones should cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack.”

    You are kidding, right?! They wouldn’t last 10 mins around here, hehe
    they look completely scrummy and I have big bacon envy!

  3. Ditto, Bron, I couldn’t keep myself away from these for a full 10 minutes after they’re out of the oven! Looks to die for. Btw, love the new site format!

  4. This looks like a great recipe for the bacon I just finished curing. Any scone recipe involving bacon, cheddar, and haevy cream gets my vote as a must try.

    Plus I just posted my favorite wilted spinach salad recipe if you are looking for any other ways to use some of that luscious bacon you got – lucky girl!

  5. I made these incredible looking scones twice today. The first time they took forever to golden up and when they did the inside was raw. I was cooking in a friends kitchen and we had lots of other things going on, so I brought some uncooked dough home. My oven browned them off in the 25 minutes according to the recipe. They were still raw in the center. I baked them for another 15. They were finally done inside but now they were very brown on the outside. The bacon flavor was great, I really could not taste the cheese at all. I liked the salt on the top . I wouldn’t make them again.

  6. I’m half way through my program at culinary school and found your recipe while looking for a savory cream recipe. I used the heavy cream , cheeses and added minced green onion, bacon and some spices and came up with a delicious filling for my tartlets. I’ll let you know if my chef instructor like them. Lorraine

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