Breakfast and brunch

Name: Lavender Scones
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 26 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: 2 1/2 c. all purpose (plain) flour (350 g); 1/4 c. sugar; 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder; 1/2 tsp. salt; 5 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes or grated (75 g); zest of 1 - 2 lemons; 1 egg; 3/4 c. whole milk (175 ml); 2 tsp. culinary lavender; 3 tbsp. coarse sanding sugar for tops, optional, but recommended

Easy lavender scones recipe

January 10, 2022

Home » Breakfast and brunch

Lavender scones are an extra special brunch treat. Made with common pantry ingredients, these easy heart-shaped scones are perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Lemon and lavender scones on wooden board.

This quick and easy scone recipe is perfect for any special occasion. Topped with coarse sugar for extra sweetness and texture, and a hint of lemon zest in the dough, these lavender scones are a delicious tea time or brunch treat.

Watch my lavender scones web story here.

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Lavender Scones

The flavors in these scones practically scream Spring. They are just the thing to serve at bridal or baby showers, Easter brunch or Mother’s Day.

But, I also really like them for Valentine’s day, or any day, if I’m being honest.

Heart-shaped scones with fresh lavender on white background.

For me, there is hardly anything better with a cup of tea or coffee than a slightly sweet baked good. And this scone recipe is just that – they are not overly sweet, even with the sprinkling of coarse sugar on top.

The lemon zest in the dough brightens everything up and gives these scones a bit of zing and the lavender is just enough to give the scones a hint of flavor.

I promise it will not taste like you are eating a bar of granny’s fancy soap.

Scones on wooden board with lavender and lemons.

Ingredients

The ingredients for these scones are common pantry items, with the exception of the lavender.

When purchasing lavender for culinary use, you want to make sure you are buying food-grade lavender. Some of the lavender sold in craft stores is not meant for consumption, so check the label carefully. The only ingredient should be organic lavender flowers.

Milk – I recommend using whole milk in this recipe, but if you have 2% that is fine.
Sugar – Regular granulated (caster) sugar gives the scones a bit of sweetness.
Lemon – The zest is where most of the flavor is and that’s what we’re using.
Flour – Regular, all-purpose (plain) flour.
Unsalted Butter – gives our scones moisture and flavor.
Baking powder – helps the scones to bake up nice and tall.
Salt – I used fine sea salt, it gives the scones flavor. All baked goods need salt.
Egg – Provides structure, flavor and rise.
Culinary lavender – gives baked goods a lovely floral flavor.

Lastly, a kitchen scale is also recommended. This is the same scale that I own, and using a scale to measure in baking versus cups will give you more accurate measurements.

These are lavender buds. Because they are a natural ingredient, you will find a few small pieces of twiggy stems in them. Just pick them out and throw them away.

One thing to look for is color – you want the lavender to be bright purple. If it looks very muted or gray, it’s old and it won’t have much flavor.

How to make scones

First, dice butter into small pieces, or grate on a box grater. Place it into the freezer for a few minutes while you measure the dry ingredients.

Next, mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, then add cold butter and work it into the flour mixture using a dough blender, a fork or your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs.

Step by step photos for how to make scones.

Whisk egg and milk together, then mix into the dough with a spatula. My favorite rubber spatulas are these heavy duty commercial grade ones.

Once you no longer see big pockets of flour, and the dough is starting to come together on its own, you’re done.

Lavender scone dough on marble countertop.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 1-inch thick circle. Do not knead the dough, press it together as you are forming a circle.

Dip the cutter into flour and press straight down. Lift cutter straight up, out of the dough – do not twist. Place lavender scones on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Gently gather scraps and press together, repeating until dough is used up. Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking.

Lavender scones are best served on the day they baked. They can be refreshed in the microwave or a warm oven the next day, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months. If freezing, I recommend omitting the sugar sprinkled on top.

Heart-shaped scones on board with flowers.

This easy recipe bakes up nice and tall, and the scones hold their shape beautifully. Serve them with blueberry bourbon jam and clotted cream, or eat them as is – they are absolutely delicious either way.

Easy brunch recipes

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Yield: 9 scones

Lavender Scones

Easy lavender scones perfect for Valentine's Day or Sunday brunch.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Total Time 26 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/2 c. all purpose (plain) flour (350 g)
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes or grated (75 g)
zest of 1 - 2 lemons
1 egg
3/4 c. whole milk (175 ml)
2 tsp. culinary lavender
3 tbsp. coarse sanding sugar for tops, optional, but recommended

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and lavender together in a medium bowl.
Add cold butter to dry ingredients and use a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers to work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Remove 2 tbsp. of milk and set aside. We'll use this to brush the tops of the scones. Beat remaining milk and egg together, then add to dry ingredients and stir with spatula until just combined and no big pockets of flour remain.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and press together - do not knead dough. Press out into a 1 inch thick round.
Dip a medium-sized cutter into flour, then press straight down into dough and pull straight up. Do not twist the cutter. Place scones on parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used up. Gather and lightly press dough together to cut the last few.
Brush tops with reserved milk, sprinkle each scone with 1 tsp. coarse sugar and bake for 14 - 16 minutes.
Place on cooling rack to cool slightly before serving.

Notes

Instead of cutting out shapes, you can cut the circle of dough into wedges (like a pie) and bake.

If your oven runs hot, check scones at 12 minutes.

Rotate pan halfway through for even browning.

How to make Hubbard squash bread

October 25, 2021

Home » Breakfast and brunch

Hubbard squash bread is a simple homemade quick bread recipe that is full of autumnal flavors. Topped with a crunchy cinnamon sugar crown, this delicious loaf stays moist for days with the addition of applesauce and cooked squash. It is one of our favorite Hubbard squash recipes to make during the cooler fall months.

Save the seeds from your squash to make roasted Hubbard squash seeds. They are a tasty and healthy snack.

Hubbard squash bread

The first bit of business when making any kind of squash bread is cooking the squash. This is something I would recommend doing ahead of time. Doing this the day before saves you the trouble of having to wait for it to cool when you’re ready to bake.

If you’ve always wanted to know how to bake Hubbard squash whole, I wrote an entire post on it.

Buttered Hubbard squash bread on parchment paper.

The other choice is to split it in half, and roast it in the oven, like you would for this stuffed Hubbard squash recipe. Choose whichever method works best for you.

This quick bread recipe is great for breakfast, but I really enjoy it with an afternoon cup of tea as a little snack. It’s a terrific thing to have on hand for friends popping by to visit.

What do I need to make this squash bread?

The recipe for Hubbard squash bread uses common pantry ingredients. You are likely to have everything you need already, if you keep a well-stocked spice cabinet.

One word of caution on the spices, though. If you are unsure how long some of your spices have been in the cabinet, it’s probably a good idea to replace them.

We’re all guilty of this, myself included. Look for an expiration date, or my preferred method, smell it. Take the top off and stick your nose in there. Is it still strong or has the smell faded, or worse, gone off a tad? The oils in spices can turn, so if it smells a little rancid, replace it.

Ingredients for Hubbard squash bread on blue background.

Another clue to look for is color – is it still vibrant or does it look a bit muted and lackluster? If so, you know what the answer is. Now, gather all of your ingredients and let’s get this bread going.

Below is a list of what I’ve used in this Hubbard squash bread recipe. There are links to the exact item I own, when possible. The most important item would be the loaf pan. Please measure the pan you are using, as they are not all the same.

8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan – This is the same loaf pan that I used in the recipe. The exact measurements for this pan are 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75.
Mixing bowls – You will need two medium sized mixing bowls.
Whisk – I really like a balloon whisk, use whatever you have.
Rubber spatula – You’ll need a rubber spatula to scrape every last bit of batter from the bowl and to smooth the top.
Parchment paper – I cut pieces of parchment to make a sling inside the pan. You could also spray with baking spray (the kind with flour in it), or you can butter and flour your pan. The choice is yours.
Food scale – Weighing flour is much more accurate than scooping to measure. A scale is something you will use often in baking and I cannot recommend it enough.

Procedure

Quick breads use the same method as making muffins, which is generally known as “the muffin method”. You can read about it in this pumpkin muffin recipe, but the general idea is that wet ingredients are mixed in one bowl and dry ingredients are mixed in a separate bowl.

They are then combined together and baked. It’s very straightforward and great for beginner bakers.

To make the batter for the squash bread, gather the ingredients, two mixing bowls, a whisk and a spatula.

First, combine all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to thoroughly combine.

Next, combine all of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour into dry ingredients. Stir to combine or use an electric mixer to beat it until combined. Pour batter into your prepared loaf pan.

Sprinkling sugar on top of bread batter in pan.

Smooth the top and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of bread before sliding into the oven.

Remove from the oven when a skewer comes out clean, then let the bread cool for a few minutes on a cooling rack before removing from the pan to cool completely.

Substitutions and suggested mix-ins

If Hubbard squash is unavailable, don’t worry! You can substitute with butternut squash, kabocha squash or buttercup squash. Use whatever is available to you, or your personal favorite.

I topped this loaf of Hubbard squash bread with a cinnamon sugar blend. I tried it two ways – one with regular granulated sugar and one with raw (Demerara or Turbinado) sugar. They were both delicious, but I really enjoyed the crunch of the raw sugar.

Slices of squash bread with cinnamon sugar top.

Just look at that crunchy top! This was my test loaf, I left a few pieces of squash in the batter instead of mixing it completely smooth. I stirred it up by hand instead of using an electric mixer – partly for testing and partly because I’m lazy and didn’t feel like getting it out for 3 minutes of work.

The texture was actually quite nice, so if you don’t feel like dragging out an appliance to make this bread, you don’t have to.

For mix-ins, chopped nuts would be great in this Hubbard squash bread, as would chocolate chips or dried cranberries. In place of the cinnamon sugar tops, you could sprinkle pepita seeds on top instead for a more savory finish.

Hubbard squash recipes

Please share

If you love this, please give the recipe 5 stars!

I hope you like this easy fall recipe as much as we do! Please consider rating and/or commenting.

Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? Please share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.

Yield: 1 loaf