While how you may pronounce them can divide opinions, scones are loved in many parts of the world for their fabulous texture and flavor, perfect for an afternoon tea.
You may buy or make them, but at some point, you’ll probably have too many scones to eat before they go to waste.
Scones don’t last long, especially if you make them yourself, as they contain no preservatives. Even when you keep them in the fridge, they’ll keep for about 3 days before they go hard.
The good news is that you can freeze scones without much trouble, baked or raw, and they’ll keep in the freezer for a maximum of 4 months.
You should aim to use them within a month for best results. The longer you leave them in the freezer, the more altered the texture will be.
Here’s everything you need to know about freezing scones.
How Do You Freeze Scones?
How To Freeze Scone Dough
If you’d prefer to freeze raw scones, make the scones as normal, up until you’ve cut the dough into individual pieces, and they’re on a lined baking tray as if you were about to put them in the oven.
Instead, put the whole thing into the freezer, making sure the individual pieces of dough don’t touch each other. Prepare a large and rigid airtight container which will easily hold all the dough you want to freeze (see also Freezing Gingerbread Dough).
Once the dough has been in the freezer for an hour, take it out of the freezer, and transfer the dough into the container, handling it gently.
You don’t need to worry about them sticking together, as you’ve flash frozen them to start with, so layer them as necessary. Seal the container, label it with the freezing date, and transfer it to the freezer.
How To Freeze Baked Scones
Once you’ve divided the scones into those you’ll eat immediately and those you’ll save for freezing, let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Store the scones you aren’t going to freeze as you normally would until you’re ready to enjoy them. For those you’ll freeze, wrap them individually in foil, cling film, or beeswax paper, making sure they are sealed.
Put the scones into a heavy-duty freezer bag, making sure to get rid of any excess air before you seal it. Label it, and freeze it.
The Best Way To Defrost And Reheat Scones
How To Defrost and Reheat Baked Scones
This method only needs a bit of planning. Simply take the scones out of the freezer and put them in the fridge.
Allow them to defrost at their own pace, which may take as little as a few hours, or it may take until the next morning.
Once you’re ready, you can use either the microwave or the oven. You’ll know when you’ll be able to reheat the scones, as they’ll be much softer.
To reheat them in the oven, preheat it to about 350°F or 180°C, and let the scones warm in there for 8-10 minutes.
If you’d prefer to use the microwave, set it to high, and blast them for 10 seconds at a time.
How To Thaw And Bake Raw Scones
For raw scones, you don’t even need to defrost them first. Simply preheat the oven to about 350°F or 180°C.
Grab a lined baking tray, and lay the frozen scones on top, making sure you leave room in between for them to expand. Allow them to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they go golden brown.
Conclusion
Scones are perfect for making ahead and then freezing, especially when you consider that you are doing all the work ahead of time, and you can easily preserve scones past their short shelf life.
