Make-Ahead Bacon, Cheddar & Scallion Scones (Freeze and Bake)

If you love our Bacon Cheddar Scallion Scones, check our Bread Recipes page for more homemade bread ideas!

A few months ago I dragged myself out of bed on a snowy Saturday, pulled my hair back, got dressed and drove an hour and a half to the Genesee Country Village and Museum. It was cold and gray outside, but inside a warm room a King Arthur Flour baking demonstration was open to the public — and I couldn’t resist.

I’m a dedicated King Arthur Flour fan; I buy it in large sacks from friends and use it so often it’s a staple in my kitchen. I’d never attended one of their demos before, so when I heard about this one — covering pie crusts, scones, and biscuits — I went, expecting to learn some tips and get inspired.

Those three: pie crusts, scones and biscuits, are my weakness. I get giddy over flaky layers and tender crumbs, and I’m easily undone by a perfectly made pastry. At the demo, Irene — a King Arthur Flour baking expert — made a simple but transformative point: these pastries are made the same way. Dry ingredients are combined, cold fat is cut in, and liquid is added until the dough just comes together.

Her best tip: add the fat in two stages. First work in about half the cold butter until the mixture resembles lentils; then work in the rest leaving some larger pea-sized pieces. That two-stage method gives you both tenderness and the larger pockets of fat that create flakiness. It’s a small change that makes a big difference.

But the idea that particularly stuck with me was practical and perfect for busy mornings: form the scones ahead of time, flash-freeze them on a baking sheet, then wrap and store them in a freezer bag. On a holiday morning you can bake frozen scones straight from the freezer and have warm, fresh scones with minimal effort — exactly the plan I wanted for Christmas morning.

I imagined sitting in my pajamas while the kids opened presents, only getting up to pull a tray of steaming, tender, bacon-and-scallion studded scones from the oven. Then later, with the kitchen already tidy, we could enjoy our breakfast without a flurry of last-minute baking. It felt like a small holiday miracle.

Having a bag of frozen pre-formed Bacon Cheddar Scallion Scones in the oven is your secret holiday breakfast or brunch weapon to having piping hot, tender, flaky scones studded with crispy bacon, minced scallion and tiny pockets of melted Cheddar cheese.

Freeze and Bake Bacon Cheddar Scallion Scones

Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Print Recipe

Keeping a bag of pre-formed frozen scones in the freezer is a clever make-ahead trick for holidays and busy mornings. Remove the number of scones you want, place them on a parchment-lined pan and bake straight from frozen. In about 45 minutes you’ll have warm, flaky scones filled with crispy bacon, scallion and pockets of melted Cheddar.

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour (about 1 lb 1 oz by weight)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons baking powder
4 teaspoons sugar
8 tablespoons cold butter cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups finely diced Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely minced scallion tops green onions
1 pound bacon cooked until crispy, cooled and crumbled
1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half plus 1/4 cup plus more if needed to make a cohesive dough

For Baking:

Additional cream for brushing prior to baking

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. Add about half the cubed butter and work it in with a fork, pastry cutter, two knives or your fingers until the mixture resembles lentils. Add the remaining butter and work it in, leaving some larger pea-sized or slightly bigger flakes for flakiness.
Gently toss in the cheese, bacon and scallion tops until evenly distributed, careful not to mash them. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of cream over the mixture and toss to combine. Squeeze a small amount together: if it crumbles or you see dry bits, add cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture holds together as a shaggy dough. Use a bench scraper or spatula to fold the dough until it forms a mass you can turn out onto a very lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough in half and pat each portion into a 7–8 inch disc about 3/4 inch thick. Transfer the discs to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut each disc into 8 wedges, cutting straight down rather than sawing to encourage a better rise. Separate the wedges slightly so they don’t touch.
Place the pan directly into the freezer. When the scones are fully frozen, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and store them in a resealable freezer bag. Freeze up to three months.

Ready to Bake?

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the number of scones you want from the freezer, unwrap and arrange them with space between on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with cream and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden, puffy, and cooked through.

Notes

Don’t be afraid to adjust the cream. Start with the lower amount and add more by the tablespoon if the dough seems dry. The goal is a shaggy dough that holds together when pressed; a little patience in this step yields the best texture.