Scones, biscuits, muffins and crumpets all transform breakfasts into memorable events. Heavier, drier and more crumbly than biscuits but more pastry-like than muffins, scones taste dense and light at the same time. Cranberry-pecan, green onion cheddar, current-cardamom, cinnamon-chocolate – each and every variety of scone is easy to eat even without topping the treat with high-fat butter. But, unless you eat the whole batch, you'll need to reheat the scones later.
Decide Whether to Reheat
Fresh-baked scones stay fresh for one to two days when you wrap them in plastic or foil to minimize drying. You could reheat the scones on the second day, but you don't need to because they will still retain most of their moisture and freshness. Beyond two days, or if you store the scones in the refrigerator, the starches in scones stiffen and the scones lose moisture. When you reheat the scones, the starches can once again absorb moisture from the surrounding air, even in the oven or microwave. Voila – a moist and delectable scone.
Be Careful With the Microwave
Microwaves may reheat scones quickly, a good thing when you can't wait to bite into that scone, but you run the risk of the scone hardening instead of softening if you cook it for too long. For best results, wrap each scone loosely in a moistened paper towel or clean kitchen towel, and heat it for 10 to 12 seconds, depending on its size. Set the microwave on low power to reduce the risk of ruining a perfectly good scone. The good news is that you lose very few nutrients in the scone with a 10-second zap.
Heat Them in The Oven
Heating scones in the oven takes longer than the microwave, but you get the benefit of a tasty crispiness on the outside of the scones while the insides stay soft. You also reduce the chances of overcooking. The oven is also more reliable if you need to reheat multiple scones, since the heat is distributed more evenly than in the microwave. To reheat in the oven, wrap each scone loosely with foil and place them in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven. Depending on their size, the scones will heat completely in 10 to 15 minutes.
Reheat Frozen Scones
Scones typically do contain a good amount of saturated fat and sugar, and it makes sense to eat them sparingly, so consider freezing a few for later. Scones retain their quality for two to three months. Wrap the scones tightly in freezer-grade plastic or foil, with a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper in between each scone. The scones stay safe to eat indefinitely in a freezer set to 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below, but they will not really be worth eating after a couple months.
To defrost and reheat the scones, let them thaw first in their packaging, and then proceed as you would for reheating any stale scone, by wrapping each one loosely in foil and heating it at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.