Growing up in the South, I was served biscuits at breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Each family and restaurant has their own specific way of making them. Some are skinny and tall, others flat and wide, and some come nestled together like Parker House rolls in cast-iron pans. Served with butter or jam, smothered with gravy or topped with ham and cheese or a piece of fried chicken, biscuits are as Southern as bourbon, collards and mac and cheese.
Our Best Scone Recipes for Weekend Baking
Even though my mom has lived in the South for nearly 20 years, she's never gotten quite accustomed to biscuits. She is in the scone camp. She likes the crunchy, slightly sweet baked good, especially alongside a good cup of coffee. And since she is the baker in the house, I became accustomed to and developed a love for scones too. They are still my go-to coffee-shop splurge, especially at 4 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon.
So, what's the difference between a scone and a biscuit? The answer generally boils down to one ingredient: eggs. Scones have them, biscuits don't.
Other than that, the ingredients and process are pretty much the same. Both scones and biscuits are usually made with some combination of flour, baking powder or baking soda (or a combination of both), salt, sugar, milk or buttermilk, eggs (if you're making scones) and a fat (butter, Crisco, lard). The dry ingredients are mixed together, the fat is "cut in" with a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingers, and the liquid is added until the dough just comes together. The dough is gently kneaded very briefly then cut into circles or triangles and baked.
I followed the same general recipe when developing these healthy scones in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, replacing some of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat and using just enough butter to give them great flavor. Then I mixed in sweet or savory ingredients to make each variation special. The result? The easiest, healthiest and most delicious scones you've ever had. Enjoy!
2. Whisk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, sugar (1 tablespoon for savory, ¼ cup for sweet) and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut or rub butter into the dry ingredients. Stir in ADD-INS.
3. Whisk milk (or buttermilk) and egg in a medium bowl; stir into the dry ingredients until just combined.
4. Sprinkle a work surface with 1 tablespoon flour. Turn the dough out and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Knead three to five times, or until the dough just comes together. Divide in half and pat each piece into a 5-inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake the scones until firm to the touch, 18 to 24 minutes.
Makes: 1 dozen (1 scone each)
Glaze 'Em!
A drizzle of this super-quick glaze makes sweet scones more special. Whisk 3/4 cup lightly packed confectioners' sugar and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (or milk) in a small bowl until smooth. Adjust consistency with a little more sugar or liquid, as desired. Makes about 1/3 cup.
Biscuits are often slightly healthier than scones because they use less butter and sugar than scones. Both biscuits and scones contain flour, fat, dairy, and baking powder. Both of these treats fit into a healthy diet in moderation.
"Scones are typically made using a quick bread method with a higher ratio of liquid to flour, and sometimes no butter at all," says Snyder. In contrast, biscuits have a high ratio of butter, and the lamination process needed to achieve flaky layers is a key differentiator to scones.
“Scones are made with cream and eggs,” said Katina Talley, owner of Sweet Magnolias Bake Shop in Omaha, Nebraska. “They're sweeter, drier, and may contain fruit. Biscuits are typically made with buttermilk and no eggs. They're flaky, soft, and traditionally not sweet.”
Tea biscuits and scones are both baked treats, but they're not the same. Regarding tea biscuits vs. scones, the main distinction is in the texture. Biscuits are flaky and buttery, while scones are dense and crunchy.
fattening. A Food Standards Agency (FSA) report has found that the average scone contains 408 calories, with the best – sorry, most fattening – clocking up a remarkable 756 calories and 39.2g of sugar. Add jam and cream to the largest scone tested, and you are talking more than 900 calories.
They are typically extremely high in calories from the heavy butter and cream. And, although scones with fruit might seem healthier, most are even higher in calories and still high in saturated fat. Steer clear of scones.
The colder the better when it comes to scones, we recommend a chilled bowl and pastry cutter too. Use pastry flour: This will create a noticeably lighter scone. However, self-raising flour works just as well and creates a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely.
So there you have it: Southern biscuits have more butter and acidity (from the buttermilk), making them extra fluffy and flaky. While scones rely on richer, denser, ingredients like heavy cream and eggs to get a sturdy, yet crumbly, pastry.
Scones are dryer and crumbly. They need the thick, luscious clotted cream and jam to make a delicious sweet treat. American biscuits are more fluffy, from the extra butter, and the acidity of buttermilk. So, they are similar, but not the same.
American scones use much more butter than British scones, and they usually have quite a bit more sugar. The extra butter is what makes them so much denser.
In Britain, what Americans refer to as “biscuits” are known as “scones.” British biscuits are actually what Americans call “cookies.” The term “biscuits” in the United Kingdom typically refers to sweet, crumbly, and sometimes buttery bakes treats, distinct from the soft, bread-like biscuits found in the United States.
Can biscuits be healthy to eat? Biscuits are not necessarily healthy as they contain a lot of saturated fat due to a large amount of butter used in making biscuits. The amount of saturated fat in a typically-sized biscuit usually composes 30-50% of the recommended daily value of saturated fat.
What's the Main Difference? The biscuit and scone share British heritage, quick bread status, and the basic foundation of flour, fat, and liquid. But as they evolved to what they are today, scone recipes use eggs, and biscuit recipes do not.
In fact, one third of biscuit consumers in the UK eat biscuits as an accompaniment to tea, ranking it as the third most popular occasion behind 'snacking' and 'when drinking coffee'.
When you're eating food — or your out for a meal— opt for the food that are higher in nutrients. The best foods are typically high in nutrients and low in calories. Scone are low in nutrients and high in calories. Keep away from the scones, cupcakes and skinny tea diets.
Scones can be savory or sweet and are usually eaten for breakfast or tea.” My recipe for scones has evolved through the years that I have made them, and I always have made a sweet version.
Gurpareet Bains, a chef and nutritionist based in the United Kingdom, recently created a cookie called the Chikitsa Crumble that contains the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables and nearly half of one's daily recommended fiber intake.
A plain croissant is really your best bet, ranging from 240 to 350 calories. As for muffins and scones, they start in the 400-calorie range. A Panera Cinnamon Chip Scone has 570 calories, and a Dunkin' Donuts Honey Bran Raisin Muffin has 480.
Introduction: My name is Domingo Moore, I am a attractive, gorgeous, funny, jolly, spotless, nice, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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