Utah Scones

5 from 3 votes

Utah Scones are a unique treat! Unlike traditional scones, these are deep-fried flatbread pieces, perfectly puffy, and enjoyed with powdered sugar, honey, and butter.

Prep Time20

Cook Time8

Resting Time15

Total Time43

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American, Vegetarian

Keyword: utah scone recipe, Utah Scones

Servings: scones

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $3.12

Equipment

Deep fryer or a large/deep pot with thermometer, see note 1

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast or active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm milk I use whole milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus more for frying
Toppings as desired see note 2; pick what sounds best to you!

US - Metric

Instructions

Melt butter in the microwave and let cool back to room temperature (it’s important it’s not hot!) Microwave milk until just warmed (see note 3) but not hot. Mix together melted butter and milk and set aside. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough comes together.
Dough should be rough, shaggy, and fairly sticky, but not so sticky you can’t work with it. Lightly flour your hands and knead dough just a few times to shape it into a ball, being careful to not overwork/over-handle the dough. In the same bowl you used for mixing, drizzle a tablespoon vegetable oil in the bowl. Rub oil on the bottom and slightly up the sides. Add dough ball back in the bowl and turn it to coat in the oil. Cover bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Let rest about 15–20 minutes. We don’t need the dough to rise, just the gluten to relax!
Add 1 inch oil to a large cast-iron pot and heat to 350°F (see note 1). Divide the rested dough into 8 equal portions (cut the ball of dough in half then half again to get 4 large triangle pieces. Cut each triangle into 2 pieces to get 8 equal triangles). Lightly flour your hands and work with one dough piece at a time (keep the rest of the dough portions covered). Holding the piece of dough with your hands, gently work the dough into a circle, pressing it out with your fingers (don’t roll out the dough with a rolling pin or flatten on the table). The dough should make a thin 5 to 6-inch circle and doesn’t need to look pretty—it’s supposed to look rustic!). The thinner the pieces, the better, keep working the dough outwards, being careful to not rip it.
Gently drop only one piece of dough at a time in fully heated oil. Fry about 30 seconds up to 1 minute per side (if not using cast-iron pot, it will be longer). Fry pieces to a deep golden-brown color, flipping the dough with 2 forks (or tongs) halfway through. Use a large slotted spoon (or tongs) to remove dough onto a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat to fry remaining dough.
Enjoy the scones right out of the fryer! Either dredge all sides in a blend of 1/2 cup white sugar with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar or top with butter, honey butter, honey, jam, syrup, berries powdered sugar, etc.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Frying Equipment Options:

1. 1. Use a deep fryer
  2. If you don’t have a deep fryer, you’ll want a heavy-bottomed deep pot (I recommend using a large (5 quart) cast-iron pot) and thermometer to gauge the temperature of the oil and ensure it maintains the right heat throughout frying. We want to ensure the temperature stays consistent and doesn’t get too hot (or too cool), which will affect how the bread fries. If you don’t have a thermometer, try this trick: add a wooden spoon handle in the hot oil. When bubbles gather around the stick, the oil is ready to fry.

Note 2: Try some of these toppings! Sugar-cinnamon mix (mix together 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon), softened honey butter, softened regular butter, honey, powdered sugar, fresh berries, jam, syrup, etc. (Or top it with something savory like taco seasoned ground beef).

Note 3: Test milk temperature: Drizzle a few drops of the warmed milk on the inside of your wrist. If it is warm and comfy, it will be perfect for the yeast. If it feels hot, it will be too hot for the yeast. Too cold and the yeast will simply remain dormant.

Nutrition Note: Calories do not include toppings, just the fry bread, as toppings may vary.

Storage: Like most fried foods, scones are the absolute best right out of the fryer! I don’t recommend frying ahead of time. You can store scones (before topping with butter/honey/etc.) loosely wrapped with plastic wrap for 1–2 days. Texture and flavor does suffer the longer the scones have been out of the fryer.

Make Ahead: Cover the dough tightly and place in the fridge. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours. When ready to fry, remove dough from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before frying.

Nutrition