It was Sunday afternoon and raining cats and dogs and buckets. On days like this, and other days that end in -day, my mind turns to baking. I had bought some lovely blueberries at the market yesterday, along with some of this blog’s titular citruses. Thus equipped, I decided to adapt a recipe I had already made last week for Raisin Scones. They were pretty darn good, but the recipe had called for them to be baked on a foil-lined baking sheet, and foil is such a good conductor that the bottoms of some of the scones burned. I knew I could do better.
I still remember the first scone I ever had. It was at the Starbucks that had just opened in the Harris Teeter beside my high school. Not only were these mysterious triangular baked goods new to me, so was the whole concept of a whole shop devoted to coffee. I purchased a scone because it seemed exotic, nothing like the familiar muffins and cookies of my youth. Eating it, I was overcome with its shocking… density. And crumbliness. And… lack of flavor. It was British food, so that last part made sense, yet at the same time, it was British food, so I kept on consuming them.
Then I actually went to England, and lo and behold… their scones weren’t dense at all. They reminded me nothing of cement blocks. They were flaky, and biscuit-like, and lovely, even the prepackaged ones from Tesco. These Brits weren’t masochistic at all, it was we Americans who were screwing up the scones in translation.
Thus, I implore you to try these scones. They’re light and flaky, just like the Brits like them. And really hard to screw up, too. I know this personally, because a bolt of lightning struck outside my window and the power went out 3 seconds after I put these scones in the oven. Luckily the power came back and the scones turned out beautifully. Even an act of God couldn’t impair their deliciousness.
Recipe follows!
Lemon-Blueberry Scones
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Makes 22 scones. (I’ve halved this recipe each time I’ve made it and the results are still great.)
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 cup blueberries
1 cup whipping cream or half-and-half
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons water
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into large bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in blueberries. Whisk cream, 2 eggs, vanilla and lemon peel in medium bowl to blend. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Gather dough into ball and knead lightly. Roll out dough on floured surface to 3/4-inch thickness. Using 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out scones. Gather scraps; reroll and cut out additional scones. Place scones on prepared baking sheets, spacing apart.
Whisk remaining egg and 2 teaspoons water in small bowl to blend. Brush egg mixture over tops of scones. Sprinkle the tops with sugar, if desired. Bake scones until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer scones to rack and cool slightly. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature.) Serve warm or at room temperature.
***Jill’s note: These are also easily frozen. Just defrost and pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds when you’re ready for one, and they taste out-of-the-oven fresh.
