Honey Butter Scone

Honey Butter Scones

Served for breakfast and brunch in Le Crocodile over the last few years, this scone recipe comes from Pastry Alum, Kaitlyn Wong, and is an absolute fan favorite. Neither dense nor dry, too sweet or too salty, Wythe Hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef Ellie Pfeiffer guides us through this recipe to achieve the airiest, flakiest scones.

Scone Tips from Wythe Hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef, Ellie Pfeiffer:
  • With scones, it’s all about temperature. Make sure to keep everything very, very cold for the best outcome.
  • Use a comically large bowl to make this recipe so that there’s no worry of flour spillage or making a mess.
  • It’s worth investing in a kitchen scale if you’re making pastries for exact measurements—remember, baking is a science!
All Purpose Flour

Ingredients:

  • 175 grams unsalted butter, grated on a box grater, and frozen completely
  • Dry Ingredients:
    • 418 grams all purpose flour
    • 98 grams granulated sugar
    • 10 grams baking powder
    • 4 grams baking soda
    • 4 grams salt
  • Wet Ingredients:
    • 225 grams buttermilk
    • 75 grams heavy cream
    • 11 grams vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
  • Egg Wash:
    • 80 grams egg yolks (approximately 4 egg yolks)
    • 80 grams heavy cream
  • Honey Butter Glaze:
    • 100 grams unsalted butter, slightly melted
    • 100 grams honey
    • Flaky salt
  • Honey Butter:
    • 200 grams butter, room temperature
    • 100 grams honey
    • Pinch of salt

Executive Pastry Chef Ellie Pfeiffer indulges us in a few questions:

Breakfast or Afternoon snack?

I like a breakfast scone because I’m a bit of a sugar addict. I think that starting the day off with a honey butter scone always sets me up for success.

Ideal slatherings for a Honey Butter Scone?

Other than extra honey butter I like to put our raspberry jam on it. I also am a salt fiend so sometimes I’ll just eat one plain with extra Maldon on top!

Is there an ideal kind of butter one should use for Honey Butter Scones?

Use a high fat, unsalted European style butter (84% fat) to give you the most flavor! (Fat carries flavor in cooking.)

Best album to listen to while you make Honey Butter Scones?

Scones are messy and I end up with flour all over myself all the time. When I want to embrace the mess, I like to listen to music I can sing along to, which recently has been a lot of Rihanna’s old albums.

Drink pairing?

If it’s the morning I like to have it with a black tea which helps cut through the sweetness and if I’m eating one I’ve taken home I will confess they pair extremely well with an IPA. An unlikely duo but the hazy beer is almost creamy and finishes bitter which is a delight with the sweet and salty scone



Honey Butter Scone
Chef Ellie Pfeiffer