I received the recipe of these butter scones from a dear acquaintance of mine a few years ago, and since then I have baked them several times. The dough is prepared one day earlier, the scones require no folding and they remain soft for 3-4 days if they are stored in an airtight container.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg (~8 cups) flour
• 550 g (~2 1/3 cups) cold butter
• 30 g (~5-6 tsp) salt
• 50 g fresh yeast (~5 tsp dry yeast)
• 4 egg yolks
• 350 g (~3/4 lb) sour cream
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 egg for the egg wash
• sesame seeds or 100-150 g (~1/4-1/3 lb) grated cheese for the topping

In a large bowl combine flour, salt and yeast, then rub in cold butter.

In a separate bowl mix together egg yolks, sour cream and sugar. Add this mixture to the flour and knead until smooth. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill overnight.

The following day take the dough out of the fridge, knead again, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes on the kitchen counter.

Preheat the oven to 220°C / 428°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a floured surface roll out the dough 1,5-2 cm / 3/4 inch thick and cut out scones with a 4 cm / 1,5 inch cutter. Brush the top of the scones with beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds or grated cheese on them.

Bake the scones for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.