Tender Blueberry Scones

Coming back from England one of my favorite treats was a tender buttery scone and so I decided I must learn to make them myself!  I found that one of my favorite blogs, Annie's Eats, had a recipe for Blueberry Scones.  Since I am a sucker for anything baked with fresh blueberries I decided to give it a shot.  There is just something so nice about biting into a warm juicy blueberry...YUM! 


I read through the recipe which seemed tedious and so I put off making them for several days.  If there is one thing I learned in culinary school it was the difference between cooking and baking.  When you cook most foods there is a lot of room for creativity.  You can guess on measurements, sub out ingredients, and use a number of cooking methods to get a result.  Baking, on the other hand, is  a science.  Each recipe has a formula and if you get one thing off, you can end up with a disaster!  I over did it on one of my own recipes with either the salt, baking powder or both recently and ended up with a nasty salty blondie!  I had scribbled the recipe down and accidentally put a big T where there should have been a little t.  Three littles in a big makes for a terrible three-times-too-much mistake!


Mom has worked for years trying to perfect her grandmother's yeast roll recipe.  She knows there is something just not written down on the tattered paper recipe that her grandmother did to make them a light and fluffy perfection.  There were many batches that were deemed "hockey pucks" or "not fit to eat" in on our household holidays.  She made them with a wheat flour mix one year as an experiement which I love.  Over time she has tried this and that in the preparation sometimes with great sucess. 


With all of this, I have become a stickler for following the little details of a recipe when I am baking.  I love when I read one and the chef has given tips like using cold butter in pie crust or room temp eggs.  If it says it, do it.  Your recipe will come out most likely either way, but those little things can make a big difference in the texture of your tasty treat.


All that being said, I have had some terrible scones.  While Dad and I were on holiday in the UK, I grabbed one at every breakfast and lunch stop to try.  I especially liked the ones with currants, had a really nasty one with chewy fruit-cake-like strawberries, and found that clotted cream and a good black currant jam make a plain scone perfection!  I was hoping this recipe would turn out to be a winner...and it did.


The best part was, this recipe was freezable so I decided to bake off a few and freeze the rest to see how they would turn out and the frozen guys were just as yummy as the first batch.  I was thrilled because sometimes it is just me and I don't need a dozen scones lying around to eat; instead I can make them up and just take out one or two to bake as I get a craving. 

Here's the recipe and some photos of the baking process:

Blueberry Scones
Cook Time 18-25 minutesYields 8 scones


Ingredients

·         8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen whole

·         1½ cups (7½ oz.) fresh blueberries

·         ½ cup whole milk

·         ½ cup sour cream

·         2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

·         ½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

·         2 tsp. baking powder

·         ¼ tsp. baking soda

·         ½ tsp. salt

·         1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

·         2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Directions
1. Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425˚ F.  Grate the frozen butter on the holes of a large box grater.  Place the blueberries in the freezer until needed. (This is important so they are firm when you press them into the dough later!)

2.  Whisk together the milk and sour cream in a medium bowl; refrigerate until needed.  Combine the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.  Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.
3.  Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until combined. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface.  Dust the top of the dough with flour, and knead with well floured hands, 6-8 times, just until the dough holds together in a ragged ball. Add small amounts of flour as needed to prevent sticking.

4.  Roll the dough into a 12-inch square.  Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter (a dough scraper really helps with these steps).  Fold the short ends of the dough into the center in thirds, to form an approximate 4-inch square.  Transfer the dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.

5.  Return the dough to the floured work surface and roll into an approximately 12-inch square again.  Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the surface of the dough, and gently press down so that they are slightly embedded in the dough surface.  Using a dough scraper, roll the dough up to form a tight log.  Lay the log seam side down and press the the log into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle.  Using a sharp, floured knife, cut the rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles.  Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles.  Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.6.  (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed.)  Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar.  Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

6.  (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed.)  Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar.  Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

From Annie's Eats adapted from Cooks Illustrated

These scones are SO tender and light and buttery that they didn't need a speck of cream, butter, or jam to make them delish.  I did felt that they were pretty big and filling.  I would like to try the recipe again without the blueberries to make a plain, traditional scone.  I may even try to cut them with a round cutter to make a smaller guy that can be served with clotted cream and jam.  This one was great for breakfast, with tea, or as an evening sweet treat.

Yumalicious Dishes!