Breakfast Archives - Page 8 of 10

Maple Bacon Scones

This is it, the eye of the proverbial hurricane. We are in the midst of those few short days sandwiched in between turkey feasts and Christmas morning- that time of year when the to-do lists are lengthy and daylight is fleeting. To help us survive, I’m sharing these maple bacon scones, a simple and comforting dish that we all can rally behind.

An Update on Thanksgiving

Last week was basically a grotesque parade of meals and cocktails and leftover turkey sandwiches. Don’t get me wrong- I like to eat just as much as the next person, but at some point, my gullet (and the button on my blue jeans) just scream, “NO MORE!” We started the week with a few dinners out with friends, and on Thursday morning, we fulfilled our American duty by demolishing the annual Thanksgiving feast. We ate an array of biscuits and green beans and casseroles, and because Thanksgiving lunch is the meal that keeps on giving, we later enjoyed turkey and bacon sandwiches.

By Friday, I felt like I had eaten a baby or an entire bucket of KFC chicken. I felt like I had devoured three meals back to back at a Walt Disney World buffet and at any moment could burst in a disgusting explosion of gravy and cream of mushroom soup. My mother tells me this is a normal post-Thanksgiving feeling, but my Spanx would say otherwise.

After Feasting, We Football

Following our two-day binge fest, we traveled to Auburn, AL on Saturday to watch the Iron Bowl. For anyone who doesn’t live in Alabama or who couldn’t give two craps about college football (raises hand), the Iron Bowl is an annual football game between the University of Alabama and Auburn University. Being married to a rabid Auburn fan means that I participate in the festivities by eating chicken wings in my tailgate chair, drinking Crown Royale and Sprite from a gas station cup, and cheering at the game.

While I am no more interested in football than I am, say, Nascar or an international chess match, I do enjoy attending with Brett because he loves it so much. Sometimes it’s fun to scream and clap and cheer like I know what I’m doing. Plus, someone has to be there to resuscitate Brett if he loses his mind on a poor call from the referee.

Maple Bacon Scones

So that brings us to today. Bloated, tired, and scratchy-throated, this girl is wiped out. I’m sticking with soup and salad for the foreseeable future, unless of course someone wants to bring me another turkey and bacon sandwich on some pumpkin bread, because that mess is delicious. But I digress. Before we dive head first into a powdered sugar cloud of cookies and cocoa and carols, let’s celebrate the last of this fall season with some warm and cozy maple bacon scones.

With a tender crumb, crisp edges, and a delightfully sweet and salty flavor, these maple bacon scones are a dream. My husband always says that everything is made better with bacon, and when it comes to these scones, I couldn’t agree more. The recipe was adapted from a new favorite, these chocolate coffee almond scones, and I was delighted that the butter-based treat transitioned from sweet to savory so seamlessly. I made and froze several batches throughout the testing process, and for weeks these maple bacon scones were toasted for a delightful breakfast that tasted fresh from the oven.

Making the Scones

To make these maple bacon scones, we start with the meats. Fry up some thick bacon of your choice (I prefer applewood smoked bacon) until crisp. Save the grease for another day and chop up the rest for the scones. Combine the dry ingredients, flour, seasoning, and baking powder, in a large bowl. Next, cut in cold chunks of unsalted butter. Stir in the diced bacon before pouring in the heavy cream and maple syrup. Work quickly to combine the dough, but be sure to not overwork it. Pat it all out into a 1″ thick round and slice it into 8 wedges. Brush the whole thing with a little more heavy cream before baking in a hot preheated oven.

Fresh from the oven, these maple bacon scones are fragrant. Imagine the glorious smoke of bacon combined with the smell of homemade bread and maple syrup; it’s almost too good to describe. These maple bacon scones are crowd-pleasing, the kind of thing you’ll want to serve at breakfasts in the coming months. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! They’re certainly worth making room in your belly for.

If you like these maple bacon scones, you should check out:

Chocolate Coffee Almond Scones

Funfetti Scones

Maple Oatmeal Biscuits

Maple Apple Cake

Buttermilk Biscuit Sandwiches with Pepper Bacon and Cheddar

Maple Bacon Scones

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

These maple bacon scones are a sweet and salty favorite to serve at breakfast and brunch!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8

Ingredients

2 cups (260 gm) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ cup (113 gm) unsalted butter, cold and chopped
1 cup cooked, finely chopped crispy bacon
¼ cup (60 mL) maple syrup
¾ cup (180 mL) whipping cream, plus additional for brushing

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Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, pepper, and onion powder. Use a pastry cutter or the back of two forks to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until pea-sized clumps are throughout. Stir in the bacon. Combine the maple syrup and the whipping cream in a separate bowl and then stir into the dry ingredients, just until evenly incorporated. If a lot of dry ingredients remain in the bottom of the bowl you can add an additional tablespoon of cream, but be sure to not add too much liquid.
Pat the dough out in a ¾” thick circle and place the dough round on a parchment lined baking pan in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Once the dough is chilled, cut the dough into 8 wedges but leave the circle of pieces together. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of whipping cream over the scones. Bake in the oven until golden brown around the edges of each scone, about 35 minutes.

Notes

Chilling the dough ensures the scones will rise well. You can skip this step but it isn’t recommended for best outcomes.

Loosely adapted from King Arthur Flour

Pumpkin Yeast Bread

16 Comments / Breakfast

In America, we’re on the verge of Thanksgiving. In just two days, we will roll up our sleeves to stir and boil, grate and grease our way to a table filled with the faces of people we love (and love to irritate). While everyone has their own traditions, must-eat dishes, and turkey day activities, there are a few universal truths that should be closely followed to ensure the best possible holiday. I’ve arranged them in list form for your convenience.

The Universal Truths of Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving is not the time to diet.

This is well-pondered, sound advice coming from your friendly neighborhood dietitian. Am I suggesting that you should require 12 sticks of butter in your creamed corn? No. Do I think it would be wise to drink straight from the gravy boat? Sweet mercy, absolutely not. If you are established in a diet regimen already, I encourage you to stick as close as possible to the path of righteousness, but if not, just know that Thanksgiving is not the time to start cutting carbs. Your cabbage soup cleanse can wait until Friday.

Don’t be that guy.

Don’t be the guy who tells the taboo story at the dinner table. And don’t be the jerk who makes Nana cry. And certainly don’t make off-color comments or bring up touchy family subjects. Just don’t be a Thanksgiving turd, okay?

Show up on time.

There is a time to be fashionably late. For example, if it’s your birthday, you are expected to show up to your surprise party late. If you’re a Kardashian, you are welcome to walk the red carpet as late as you darn well please. But let me say this- if I spend 12+ hours basting and sweating over a giant bird in the oven, you had better make sure your sorry behind is there to help carve it. I will not wait for you to start dinner, and no one will feel sorry for you when all that’s left to eat is the congealed salad.

Be grateful.

How about we thank the crap out of this Thanksgiving? What if we opened our heart and poured sincere, intentional gratitude on everyone around the table? If saying thank you or expressing love is hard for you, consider Thanksgiving your invitation to be unabashedly and enthusiastically thankful about the good things in your life.

Two words: cornbread dressing.

Listen, I grew up in a Yankee household and have all the love in the world for the classic seasoned “stuffing.” But if 12 years in Alabama have taught me anything, it’s that cornbread dressing is the bomb.com, and if you’re not making it, you’re just plain sorry. My mother-in-law gave me a terrifically delicious recipe, and yes, I am starving just thinking about it.

Help the host.

I mean it. Text them right now and say, “What can I do to be helpful at the Thanksgiving meal?” Ask if you can pick up ice or bring a few extra bottles of wine. Offer to set the table or write out place cards. This post from Williams-Sonoma showcases a few other ways to be a great Thanksgiving dinner guest.

THAW. THE. TURKEY.

This will take longer than you think. If it’s not out of the freezer already, Godspeed, my friend.

Share a dessert!

Dessert is a great way to contribute a make-ahead dish to a Thanksgiving feast. Might I suggest a few of my favorites? How about chocolate chess pie, brown sugar cheesecake, caramel apple pie, or pumpkin cheesecake tartlets.

Bring a gift to share with your host.

Serving up a spectacle like Thanksgiving dinner requires a ton of time, money, and planning. Thank your generous host by bringing a happy parting gift that says, “YOU ROCK!” For a homerun gift, you should try…

PUMPKIN YEAST BREAD.

What better way to serve up leftover turkey and cranberry sauce than adorning it on a piece of fluffy, slightly sweet, and seasoned pumpkin yeast bread. This is the gift to beat. YA WELCOME.

This pumpkin yeast bread is the perfect thing for the season. Honey, all-purpose flour and pumpkin puree are combined with a few other ingredients to make the fluffiest autumnal bread that your Thanksgiving leftovers have ever seen. Sturdy enough for thick slices of turkey, but soft enough for a spread of cinnamon butter, this pumpkin yeast bread is a diverse treat that practically begs to be made this time of year.

Making the Bread

To make the pumpkin yeast bread, we start in the bowl of a stand mixer. First, dissolve some active dry yeast in some warm water. Next, add a bit of milk, oil, and honey, stirring to combine. Finally add the pumpkin puree. A single cup gets stirred into the wet ingredients and is followed up by all-purpose flour and the remaining dry ingredients. Knead the dough in your stand mixer (or by hand if you’re skilled like that!) and then allow it to rise in a warm spot in the kitchen.

Shaping the Loaves

Once doubled in size, divide the dough in two and form into loaves. Check out this video on shaping loaves if you’re unfamiliar. Allow the dough to rise again, this time until the loaves dome just an inch over the top of your bread pan. Brush each loaf with an egg wash and sprinkle with tiny pepitas for some added pumpkin flair.

These loaves bake up tall, fluffy, and outrageously delicious. Pumpkin yeast bread, while a far cry from your run-of-the-mill sandwich bread, is the delightfully familiar and cozy baked good you’ll want to share with your friends and family all season long. Give this recipe a try and have a terrific Thanksgiving holiday. I’m incredibly grateful for these pumpkin yeast bread loaves and YOU.

If you like this pumpkin yeast bread, be sure to check out:

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread