The History of Whistling Kettle Scones
Back in 2004, we started our first tea lounge and cafe. We were practically 'kids' at the time, with zero restaurant experience (unless you count serving for a few summers). We were fast approaching our opening day and had all the major details ironed out, and the last thing to put together was our scones. It is a tea-themed restaurant, so scones are a must! So ensued our unexpected adventure that is now years in the making….
Scones on demand
We had our hands full when we first opened. We needed a good product that was tried and tested and would not consume all of our time (or resources) in the test kitchen. So, we went around to local bakeries and, after several disappointing scones, finally found one that lived up to our standards. We launched and everything went well...at first.
Everything seemed to be humming along nicely for the first few weeks. As time went on, we noticed that we often ran into issues scheduling regular deliveries. Then, as we started to develop our menu, we wanted more of a variety of scones, while this bakery only carried one. They had an amazing scone, but we needed more than a one-hit wonder to keep up with our customers' ever-changing tastes.
Scones prepped to bake!
We found another bakery that could provide us with a few more varieties as a pre-made, refrigerated batter that would allow us to bake them as needed. From the start we knew this was only a temporary solution. We ultimately wanted even more variety, and by then we were selling more scones, which required more cooler space! We were having growing pains, and we needed yet another solution.
Just add water, they said..
We found an all-natural scone mix that was available in large quantities. It was easy to make (just add water/milk and ingredients like cranberries, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.). However, we had to special order this mix, which was expensive to ship. We started selling so many scones that we had to order over 500 lbs of mix at a time. Because we ordered so much, it often broke the supplier’s system because it couldn't calculate shipping! And one year this broke at the worst time - Mother’s Day! At this point, we hit a wall. We couldn't let that happen again, so we went back to the drawing board…
Sometimes, all you need is a little elbow grease!
We rolled up our sleeves and set some clear objectives:
- No more special orders - just the raw ingredients like whole wheat flour, sugar, buttermilk, baking powder, etc.
- Just add water or milk
- Compatible with almost any ingredient
- EASY TO MAKE!
We decided the only way we could truly meet these objectives was to do it ourselves! After several days of baking in our test kitchen, we did it. We made a recipe that met ALL our requirements!
Hard times always lead to something great..
While our recipe has worked great for us for many years, the pandemic gave us the opportunity to further explore the world of scones. With our restaurants limited to take-out only, and the devastating drop in customers, we needed to think outside of the box a little. So, we tweaked the base recipe even further to make an even better, longer-lasting consistency. (And while we were at it, played around with new scone recipes). Not only are these new scone recipes available in our restaurants, but you can order the mix to bake at home yourself!
Whistling Kettle Scone Mix
Enjoy the Whistling Kettle scone experience at home. This is the EXACT same scone mix that we use in our award-winning restaurants. Formulated to be easy to make without being overly sweet. Just add eggs and vegetable oil and the ingredients of your choice (berries, chocolate chips, nuts, etc). Simple, all natural ingredients with no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
Ingredients: unbleached flour, cake flour, sugar, whole wheat flour, dried buttermilk, baking powder, baking soda, salt
Makes 12 scones. 34 ounces.
"This mix is a no brainer. It’s so easy to use and modify to your liking. I have used dried cherries and white chocolate with a sugar glaze, and they were sooo good. I plan on making my next batch with brown sugar and maple syrup!"
Matcha White Chocolate Chip Scones
- Servings: 12
- Yield: 12 scones
What You Need
- 1 bag Whistling Kettle scone mix
- 2 tbsp organic matcha powder
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1½ cups of cream or liquid of choice plus 2 tbsp milk for glaze
- 2 tsp vanilla extract plus ½ tsp for glaze
Scone Instructions
STEP 1
Sift scone mix and 2 tbsp matcha powder into a large bowl.
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STEP 2
In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 egg, ¾ cup of vegetable oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 ½ cups of cream.
STEP 3
Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or by hand. Do NOT over mix. Mix until batter just comes together, similar to a cookie dough batter.
STEP 4
Mix in 1 cup of white chocolate chips into your batter (optional). If you feel that the batter is too crumbly, add water or cream a little at a time until it comes together.
STEP 5
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 6
Separate into 12 individual scones.
STEP 7
Bake at 350 degrees F for 17-20 minutes. Let cool completely before adding glaze on top.
Glaze Instructions
STEP 1
Add 1 cup of powdered sugar to a bowl.
STEP 2
Add 2 tbsp milk and ½ tsp of vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
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STEP 3
If your glaze is too thick, add ½ tbsp of milk at a time until you reach your preferred consistency.
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STEP 4
Drizzle on top of cooled scones.
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STEP 5
Serve & enjoy!
Fresh scones shipped to your door!
With our scone mix, the flavor combinations are endless! We're all about convenience - so if you don't have time to bake them yourself, we're glad to offer fresh scones baked right in our cafes shipped straight to your door! That is right - you can get any of our delicious flavors baked to order FRESH and shipped right to you. We bake them and seal each one individually for long-lasting freshness (stays fresh at least 10 days). So, it you are in the mood for scones and don't have all the ingredients handy or are looking for a great gift - we invite you to order our authentic Whistling Kettle scones.
