Cream Scones with Strawberry Jam

The scone crossed the Atlantic with English settlers and found a permanent home on American breakfast tables. What began as a simple Scottish quick bread evolved into something richer on these shores, where we never met a pastry we couldn't improve with more cream and butter. This version honors both traditions.

The technique is deceptively simple but unforgiving. Cold butter. Cold cream. Cold egg. Work quickly. Handle the dough as little as possible. Those visible butter pieces you see in the raw dough will create steam pockets during baking, giving you layers that shatter when you break the scone apart. The moment you overwork the dough, you've made a doorstop.

I've served these scones at countless bridal showers, holiday brunches, and lazy Sunday mornings when nothing was expected of the day except pleasure. They take twenty minutes to prepare, eighteen minutes to bake, and approximately ninety seconds to disappear. Make a double batch. You'll thank me.