# Bottoms of scones are hard - help please :(



## lisamarie (Nov 24, 2007)

I have a great buttermilk ginger scone recipe that everyone loves, but the bottoms of the scones tend to be kind of hard. Is that to be expected with scones, or am I doing something wrong? I bake them in the middle of the oven and line my trays with parchment. I think the recipe says to bake them on the bottom 1/3 of the oven, but I'm afraid that will make the bottoms even harder. Any ideas? Thanks!


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## stir it up (Oct 15, 2007)

if it's not the recipe, and if you have baking sheets with edges on them, try stacking two sheets together before baking to shield the heat a little. 

are they overbaked on the bottom or just crispy? If you want to soften the bottoms a little, when removing from the oven you could also cool them on a clean tea towel on top of a bakers rack. The steam they emit will be gently refocused on the bottom of the scone, and soften it a little in the process. and getting them off the pan quicker can contribute a little also.


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## lisamarie (Nov 24, 2007)

I've been making them for years, and only recently have been having issues with the bottoms; weird huh! 

The bottoms actually get hard - crispy would be ok, but about 1/8 inch thick of the bottom gets really hard. 

Those are great ideas; I certainly will try them! That could be part of the problem - I tend to let them sit on the pan too long I think. Thanks for responding!


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

I found that happens to scones, and I feel that if I'm going to eat something that hard and crunchy, I'd rather eat a toasted English muffin. But those are great ideas that "Stir it up" suggested and when I start to make them for my little bake shop, I will for sure keep that in mind


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

Make sure that you remove the scones from the tray and immediately put on a cake rack. I've been making scones to my family recipe (back at least to 1814!) for 30 plus years - they've never been hard on the bottoms!


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## luc_h (Jun 6, 2007)

Hi Lisamarie,

Just a comment for the lower 1/3 of the oven. I know this will appear to be counterintuitive but the oven is cooler at the bottom then the top. Even if the heat comes from the bottom, it rises to the top and fill heat from the top downwards. Some heat is lost by a vent hole on top which only ensures that steam/humidity can escape from the hot oven.

Try to locate the temperature sensor in your oven to see where the temp is measured. Anything below that mark will be cooler.

The only exception to this is if you have a convection oven. The air in these ovens is circulated within the oven space to maintain an even heat distribution.

When baking, make sure to preheat your oven well in advance and placing your scones at the bottom 1/3 will help. Also using a insulated cookie sheet will help minimize bottom cooking.

Luc H.


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## dfrantzen (Nov 25, 2007)

Try an insulated shiny silver pan. If you use a dark pan it will absorb more heat and cook faster, a lighter shiny pan will reflect the heat and not cook as fast.


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

if the dark pans are the only ones available to you, cook them at lower temp or shorter time.

maybe even lining your pan with parchment.

Do a test batch and see if it works...


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## lisamarie (Nov 24, 2007)

Ah, I thought there MUST be a reason the recipe says to put them in the bottom 1/3 of the oven! 

I also thought about getting some of the insulated pans some of you mentioned. My mother uses them for baking and swears by them. 

A test batch...ha ha, I'd love to make some right now but they are hard to resist and I'd end up eating at least 4...not so good for my waistline...I'll be making them soon, though, for work and the holidays. 

Thanks again for the help!


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## risque cakes (Apr 20, 2007)

Yes, I know about that all too! waist line? ha, haven't seen mine in about a year..lol:blush:

Don't you just hate that mom's seem to know best at times? lol


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

I'm sorry for not reading the above or repeating what has been said.
The newer generation ovens and sheets are much better tranfering heat.
I've found at home that I put my scones in the oven on double sheetpans at 375 and lower the temp when I see then giving a kick. I have also put a third sheet to deflect.


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## rrcos (Apr 2, 2007)

For me, the silicone mats (silpat) do a great job for my baked goods. Nothing sticks to them and no over baked bottoms .


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## lisamarie (Nov 24, 2007)

They just don't tell you these things in the recipes! LOL

I've heard of those silpat mats...might be time to look for them.


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