Iveta’s cranberry scones, shown with a traditional accompaniment, lemon curd. Read our review of Iveta Scones. Photo by Claire Freierman.

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April 2008

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Bread Products

The History Of Scones

The Origin Of The Scone Is Lost In The Mists Of The British Isles

• History
• Clotted Cream
• Modern Scones

History

Scones are traditionally connected with Scotland, Ireland and England, but exactly who deserves the honor of invention, no one knows for sure. Scones may well have originated in Scotland. The first known print reference, in 1513, is from a Scottish poet. However, in earlier eras, when communications were more limited, the creation of an actual item can have predated the first appearance of printed references by many years. Centuries ago,  there weren’t newspapers that reported on the minutiae of life the way ours do. There were no food columns in the local papers proclaiming that “McTavish Bakery has created a new griddle-fried oatcake called a scone—now available at 3 Sheepshead Lane.” In fact, there were few newspapers. Much of the population was not literate. So, culinary historians rely on cookbooks and mentions in literature and other printed records. Given the perishability of these items, it is logical to think that many first-printed mentions of foods and other items may not have survived.

Scones are related to the ancient Welsh tradition of cooking small round yeast cakes (leavened breads) on bakestones, and later on griddles. One claim, probably not the best, says that scones are named for the Stone (scone) of Destiny, a stone upon which Scottish kings once sat when they were crowned (the Abbey of Scone can still be found, upriver from Perth; but the Stone of Destiny was long ago removed to Westminster Abbey). Other contenders include the Gaelic “sgonn” (rhymes with gone), a shapeless mass or large mouthful; the Dutch “schoonbrot,” fine white bread; and the closely-related German “sconbrot,” fine or beautiful bread. The Oxford English Dictionary favors the latter two.

Originally, scones were made with oats, shaped into a large round, scored into four or six wedges (triangles) and griddle-baked over an open fire (later, a stovetop). With the advent of oven baking, the round of dough was cut into wedges and the scones were baked individually.

Today’s scones are quick breads, similar to American biscuits. They are traditionally made with wheat flour, sugar, baking powder or baking soda, butter, milk and eggs, and baked in the oven—both in the traditional wedge form and in round, square and diamond shapes. This recipe produces a hard, dry texture.

Traditional English scones may include raisins or currants, but are often plain, relying on jam, preserves, lemon curd or honey for added flavor—perhaps with a touch of clotted cream (see definition below). Fancy scones—with dried fruit such as cranberries and dates, nuts, orange rind, chocolate morsels and other flavorings—are best enjoyed without butter and jam.

You may have heard two different pronunciations for “scone.” Which is the authentic one? They both are! The word is pronounced “skahn” in Scotland and Northern England (rhymes with gone) and “skoan” in the south of England (rhymes with own), the pronunciation adopted by the U.S. and Canada.

Clotted Cream Clotted cream is also called clabbered creme and clabber cream (clabber is an archaic word for a cupboard or pantry). It is a thick, yellowish, cooked cream product that originated in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in Southwest England. It is produced by cooking the cream of cow breeds known for their high-fat milk (like Jerseys). Traditionally, the cream was skimmed from the top of the milk and gently heated in shallow copper pans for at least an hour, until the cream rose to the surface in “clots” and developed a rich, golden crust. Today’s commercial products are packaged in jars, without the encrusted top layer. Either way, clotted cream is as thick as soft butter, but it tastes like cream. While it has a minimum of 55% butterfat, it also is an excellent source of calcium, folic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin, vitamins A, B12 and D and zinc. Devon cream, or double Devon cream, is virtually the same product with slightly less butterfat (48%).		Clotted cream and Devon cream are available from iGourmet.com.
		Clotted cream is made in other cultures, for different culinary uses. In India, it is called malai. In the Middle East and former Turkish Empire countries, it is called kajmak. In Mongolia, it is called öröm, and is added to salted tea. See more butter and cream terms in our Butter Glossary.

Modern Scones

In the U.K., plain or currant scones are traditionally served with afternoon tea. First, the scones are spread with jam or lemon curd, then topped with a dollop of clotted cream. This is known as cream tea or Devonshire tea. In the U.S., where afternoon tea is a rare event, scones have joined muffins and croissants as a breakfast/brunch bread alternative, and as a snack bread. Plain and savory scones are substituted for other breads at lunch and dinner.

Today, one can find recipes for more varieties of scones than there is time to bake them. There are buttermilk scone recipes, chocolate scones (and scones filled with chocolate chunks), treacle scones (with cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and treacle, or blackstrap molasses), glazed and frosted scones (borrowing a page from the doughnut play book) and savory variations like cheddar-dill and Parmesan-garlic scones.

Whatever your fancy, scones, essentially a sweet biscuit (but for the savory varieties), are best enjoyed at breakfast or brunch, and, of course, at afternoon tea. Substituting heavy cream for the butter and eggs in a traditional scone recipe will produce a moist, light scone, similar to a cream biscuit. A moist scone can be split like a shortcake biscuit, topped with berries and whipped cream and served for dessert.

For some of our favorite scone mixes and recipes, visit the main page of our Bread Products section.

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