Chef notes
A lot of people don't know I have a pastry background, and that my version of therapy is baking. A scone is a great intro to different baking methods. If you, like me, get invited to a lot of potlucks, house parties, and birthdays, trust me — bring these scones and you'll be signing autographs all day.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (1½ cups) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1½ cups fine cornmeal
- 1⁄2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chopped brown sugar
- Black Pepper-Brown Sugar Bacon (see link above for recipe)
- 1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup honey
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, for brushing
Preparation
Freeze the diced butter until firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease it with cooking spray.
Process the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, pepper, and salt in a food processor until well combined. Remove half of the flour mixture, and reserve it in a large bowl. Add the cold butter to the remaining flour mixture in the food processor, and pulse until large and small pebbles form. Add the butter mixture to the reserved flour mixture; combine them using your hand until just pebbly (do not overmix). Fold in the bacon and rosemary.
Whisk together the egg, egg yolk, cream, milk, and honey; slowly fold the egg mixture into the flour and butter mixture. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface; dust the top with flour. Press the mixture down, making sure to remove any air bubbles, and roughly shape it into an 8-inch round that's about 1 inch thick (make sure not to press too hard). Cut the dough into quarters; cut each quarter into three pizza-like wedges. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet, and spray the scones with the cooking spray.
Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove the scones from the pan to a wire rack, and brush them with the melted butter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
