Buttermilk Scones from Baking with Julia
Source of Recipe
Recipe By :Marion Cunningham
List of Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter -- cold (6 ounces), cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk --
1 tablespoon grated orange zest -- or lemon zest
1/2 stick unsalted butter -- (2 ounces), melted, for brushing
1/4 cup sugar -- for dusting
4 tablespoons jam -- or jelly,
and/or
4 tablespoons dried fruit -- diced
or small, plump, such as currants, raisins,
apricots, or figs, for filling (optional)
Recipe
Position the oven racks to divide the oven
into thirds and preheat the oven to 425°F.
Mixing and Kneading: In a medium bowl, stir
the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking
soda, and salt together with a fork. Add the
cold butter pieces and, using your
fingertips (the first choice), a pastry
blender, or two knives, work the butter into
the dry ingredients until the mixture
resembles coarse cornmeal.It's OK if some
largish pieces of butter remain--they'll add
to the scones' flakiness.
Pour in 1 cup buttermilk, toss in the
zest, and mix with the fork only until the
ingredients are just moistened--you'll have
a soft dough with a rough look. (If the
dough looks dry, add another tablespoon of
buttermilk.) Gather the dough into a ball,
pressing it gently so that it holds
together, turn it out onto a lightly floured
work surface, and knead it very briefly--a
ozen turns should do it. Cut the dough in
half.
TO MAKE TRIANGULAR-SHAPED SCONES, roll one
piece of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick circle
that is about 7 inches across. Brush the
dough with half of the melted butter,
sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar,
and cut the circle into 6 triangles. Place
the scones on an ungreased baking sheet and
set aside while you roll out the rest of the
dough.
TO MAKE ROLLED SCONES, roll one piece of
dough into a strip that is 12 inches long
and 1/2 inch thick (the piece will not be
very wide). Spread the strip with half of
the melted butter and dust with half of the
sugar. If you want to spread the roll with
jam and/or sprinkle it with dried fruits,
now's the time to do so; leave a narrow
border on a long edge bare. Roll the strip
up from a long side like a jelly roll; pinch
the seam closed and turn the roll seam side
down. Cut the roll in half and cut each
piece into six 1-inch-wide roll-ups. Place
the rolled scones cut side down on an
ungreased baking sheet, leaving a little
space between each one. Repeat with the
remaining dough.
Baking the Scones: Bake the scones for 10 to
12 minutes, until both the tops and bottoms
are golden. Transfer the scones to a rack to
cool slightly. These are best served warm
but are just fine at room temperature.
Storing: If you're not going to eat the
scones the day they are made, wrap them
airtight and freeze; they'll stay fresh for
a month. To serve, defrost the scones at
room temperature in their wappers, then
unwrap and reheat on a baking sheet for 5
minutes in a 350°F oven.
NOTES : Makes 12 triagular or 24 rolled
scones.
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