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Very Large Cherry-Strawberry Scones

Source of Recipe

From "Cook With Me" by Alex Guarnaschelli


Recipe Introduction

"These are oversized and obscene on purpose. They are meant to be broken into small pieces, hot out of the oven, and shared communally. I have made them to serve alone with a pot of tea or to put out as the opener for a fun brunch. Serve bowls of honey and jam on the side for drizzling or dunking. Note: The raw scones freeze beautifully—freeze them on a baking sheet until they are no longer tacky to the touch, then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store them in a resealable freezer bag for up to three weeks. For the batter, frozen butter is ideal, but really cold butter works, too."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Nonstick cooking spray
â—¦ 14 medium strawberries, hulled and quartered
â—¦ â…“ cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for shaping
â—¦ 1 teaspoon baking powder
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
â—¦ ½ cup sour cream
â—¦ 1 large egg
â—¦ ½ cup dried cherries


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat and coat it with cooking spray. (We are using cooking spray because we don't want to add any more butter or oil to the scones.) Add the strawberries and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and cook over medium heat until the liquid is released from the fruit, 2 to 3 minutes. Quickly transfer the berries to the prepared sheet pan to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, â…“ cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the frozen butter over the dry ingredients (alternatively, cut the butter into small cubes and add them to the bowl). Work the butter into the flour with your fingers until it looks like finely grated cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and egg, and then use your fingers to work the mixture into the flour mixture. Gently mix in the cherries and strawberries. Mix only to combine the ingredients. Nothing more. Do not overmix.

Line the sheet pan with a clean piece of parchment. Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Gently press the dough into a rough 1-inch-thick round, about 5 inches in diameter. Use a knife to cut the round into 6 equal wedges (like a pie). Place the wedges on the prepared sheet pan, leaving some space between them, and sprinkle the tops with the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar.

Place the pan in the oven on the center rack and bake until the scones are golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Set them aside to cool for a few minutes before serving. The scones are best when eaten as soon as they are baked, but you can also keep them in an airtight container. Refrigerate if keeping them overnight.

Makes 6 large scones