Hungarian Flaky Scones | Pogácsa

• In a small bowl, stir together the milk, yeast, and sugar. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to let the yeast bloom.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Set aside.
• Once the yeast mixture has bloomed, whisk in the egg yolks and 80 ml or ⅓ cup of sour cream until smooth. Set aside.
• To a stand mixer fit with a whisk attachment, add your flour mixture and grated butter, and run the mixer on low speed until the butter is incorporated into the flour and is the texture of wet sand. Add in the yeast mixture and turn the mixture on medium speed until a smooth dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl forms. If your mixture is too dry, add in sour cream one tablespoon at a time until you reach the proper consistency. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes, or until it can pass the windowpane test, which is where you stretch a small piece of dough, and if it stretches without breaking and you can see light through it, then the gluten has properly developed.
• Roll out the dough on a very lightly floured work surface until it is 12 inches long (30 cm) and 6 inches wide (15 cm). Gently pull the corners to form 90° angles. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down until you have what looks like a folded letter. Turn the dough to the left so that the fold is vertical to you. Roll out the dough into the same dimensions as before and make the same folds, except this time fold the dough again in half so that you have four layers of folded dough. Rap the dough gently with your rolling pin to slightly flatten it out. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, perform the same roll and folds and re-wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours, or overnight.
• Once the dough has finished chilling, roll it until it is ½ inch or 12 mm thick. Very shallowly, create a crosshatch pattern across the surface of the dough with a sharp knife. Do not cut deeply into the dough with the knife or it will ruin the lamination of the dough. Cut out 2½ inch (6 cm) round circles with a cookie cutter. Do not twist the cookie cutter as you push down. Twisting will seal the edges and the scones will not rise as high.
• Place the scone cut outs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush them with egg wash and sprinkle them with seeds, if desired.
• Bake them in a 400℉ / 200℃ pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until risen and golden brown. Transfer them to a rack to cool slightly. Serve them warm or at room temperature. These are best eaten the day they are made, or they can also be frozen once baked and brought back to room temperature before serving.

Flavor Options

• To create cheese-flavored scones, reduced the powdered sugar to 2 tablespoons in the dry ingredients. During the first set of roll and folds, sprinkle ¼-½ cup (60 -120 ml) onto the dough before each fold. Once the dough is cut out and ready to be baked, brush each scone with an egg wash and then mix together a ½ cup (120 ml) of shredded cheese with ½ teaspoon of sweet paprika and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Sprinkle this over each scone. Bake as previously instructed.
• To create bacon-flavored scones, reduced the powdered sugar to 2 tablespoons in the dry ingredients and add in ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Cook, drain, and finely chop the bacon. Add this to the mixer 1-2 minutes before the dough is finished mixing. Follow steps 5-8, as described above.