Cream Biscuits / Cream Scones – A Baker’s Dozen!

Cream Biscuits / Cream Scones

Looking for the perfect biscuit recipe? I present Cream Biscuits, also known as Cream Scones. 

One of my most-asked-for recipes is also one of the simplest. Just five ingredients, counting the salt, and no pastry blender needed! 

Cream biscuits are light, tender, and slightly sweet. My husband calls them “gentle biscuits,” because they are so easy to eat with lightly golden tops and tender, fluffy middles.

With practice you will be able to whip a dozen biscuits out of the oven in 25 minutes flat, so be sure to preheat the oven before you begin. The first time or two take your time and get the feel for the dough. This is how you develop baker’s intuition.

Put some soft music on, clear off the kitchen counter, and enter into the meditative state known as biscuit-making.

Mise en Place:

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and set out a baking pan. For soft-sided biscuits, choose a pan with sides, such as a 9 x 13-inch (23×33 cm) cake pan. For biscuits with crusty sides, use a cookie sheet. No need to grease it.

Allow yourself a generous workspace at the counter. You will need elbow room to wield the rolling pin. Clean it well, let it air dry or dry with a clean towel. Sprinkle a generous 12-inch (30 cm) circle with all-purpose flour.

Choose your favorite medium mixing bowl (I favor my 8-cup batter pitcher). You probably have one in your cupboard, but if you don’t, contact a Pampered Chef consultant or check out this Glass Batter Bowl with Lid from Lehman’s Hardware.

Now You’re Ready to Make Biscuits:

Enjoy Your Homemade Cream Biscuits – or Scones

Whether you refer to them as biscuits or scones, they are the perfect foil for your homemade jams, jellies, and fruit butters. Try this excellent recipe for Low Sugar Huckleberry Lime Jam!

Shortcake…

They also make an excellent base for shortcake! Pile on the fruit, top with sweetened whipped cream and voila! a delicious, seasonal dessert is born.

Call them scones and sprinkle tops with granulated sugar before baking. Serve warm with tea and lemon curd for a memorable tea-time treat.

Try Square Biscuits or Scones

And did you know biscuits don’t have to be round? To avoid wasting any of the delicious dough, you can simply trim the edges evenly with a chef’s knife and cut the dough into squares.

Cream Biscuits / Cream Scones

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

No pastry blender? No problem. Cream Biscuits are simple to mix, and the dough handles easily. For nice, high biscuits avoid rolling the dough too thinly. And did you know biscuits don’t have to be round? To avoid wasting any of the delicious dough, you can simply trim the edges evenly with a chef’s knife and cut the dough into squares.

• Author: Michele Pryse, FNTP
• Prep Time: 5 min
• Cook Time: 15
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 12–14 1x
• Category: quick breads
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

2 cups (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder, such as Rumford brand

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups (350 ml) heavy cream

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 425˚F (220°C).  Have ready a large baking sheet; no need to grease it.

 

2.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Slowly pour in the cream, stirring gently with a rubber spatula just until dough comes together.

 

3.  Sprinkle additional flour generously in a 12-inch (30 cm) circle on your countertop. 

 

4.  Turn dough onto floured surface and knead quickly and gently 6 to 8 times, shaping it into a disc.  

 

5.  Flip the dough over so that the smoother side is on top. Sprinkle a bit more flour under the dough, and dust the top, too. 

 

6.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out about ¾-inch (2 cm) thick. 

 

7.  Cut with a 2-inch (5 cm) round biscuit cutter and place biscuits 1-inch (2.5 cm) apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Scraps may be gathered and re-rolled once. Even odd-shaped scraps may be baked; they are delicious, too.

 

8.  Bake in preheated 425°F (220°C) oven 15-18 minutes, until golden brown, and serve hot with the butter and honey or jam.

Notes

Notes:

• Traditional baking powder (such as Calumet brand) contains aluminum and is not a satisfactory substitute as it leaves a definite metallic flavor on the tongue. I recommend Rumford brand.
• Recipe doubles and triples well, be sure to use a larger bowl.
• Store leftover biscuits in a loosely covered container up to a day. Pop them in the toaster to revive them to fresh-baked goodness.