Freezer-Friendly Scones: Freeze Unbaked Dough, Bake When Needed!

I first encountered the idea of frozen scones on vacation in Michigan. The Lake Street Market in Boyne City, MI sells rolls of their delicious apple walnut scones (and about a million other varieties) already frozen. What better for a summer lake house than a few scones in the freezer, just waiting to bake up and lure you to the breakfast table?

Scones are ideal to freeze because of their low moisture content: the dough is more similar to cookie dough than say, muffin batter, and freezes without undergoing too many funky changes. Scones work best frozen in individual portions — triangles, biscuit shaped, or whatever suits your mood. Now, what makes a frozen scone really blossom is the finishing touches. We always brush ours with a bit of cream and sprinkle with sugar so the tops brown and sparkle.

Freezing scones before baking makes for a fresher reheating experience than freezing them straight from the bakery. Depending on how many you plan on baking at once, freeze scones one by one in foil and plastic wrap, or freeze the whole batch on a baking tray and combine in a heavy duty plastic freezer bag once frozen.

Take scones out of the freezer when the oven is preheating. Place them on buttered baking sheets (or sheets lined with Silpat) and brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar. If the recipe calls for a glaze, keep with the instructions and hold off until they come out of the oven. By the time the oven warms, the scones will have lost some of their chill — there’s no need to thaw them. Bake as directed and keep an eye on them because the baking time will vary.

Here are some scone recipes just begging to be frozen for a rainy Sunday morning:
• Apricot Yogurt Scones
• Honeyed Grapefruit Oat Scones
• Banana Bread Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze
• Fresh Cranberry Scones

Related: Breakfast on the Go: Scones