Scones - Effect of Heavy Cream v. Buttermilk?

In my pursuit of making the perfect scones - was wondering whether anyone could weigh in on the structural effect of using heavy cream v. buttermilk in scone recipes? My ideal scone is on the drier side, sturdier, definitely NOT muffin/cake like. Does anyone have advice on how to achieve that?

hchambers86
  • 11632 views
  • 1 Comment

1 Comment

creamtea
creamtea November 1, 2017
according to Harold McGee, "baking soda can be the sole added leavening if the dough or batter is already acidic enough to react with it and evolve carbon dioxide....[buttermilk]can be added along with the baking soda as a separate...component of the leavening. " He goes on to state that 1) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda is neutralized by 1 cup of sour milk (buttermilk) and 2) baking soda to be neutralized with sour milk provides the leavening action of four times its volume of baking powder.
Cream will provide a richer dough; the recipes I use call for cream, not buttermilk, but Joanne Chang's Flour cookbook includes a recipe with both baking powder and baking soda, along with buttermilk and crème fraîche.
 
Recommended by Food52

Popular on Food52