Talks About Food

For my scone experiment, I tried out a few different base recipes for scones. Some turned out more traditional (light and crumbly), while others were more moist and heavier. I wasn’t really in a quest to find the perfect scone recipe, it was more of an exploration of flavors, not only what flavors goes well together, but also how they’re being used to flavor the scones. Fresh fruits, dried fruits, frozen fruits, zests, juices, icing, are all great ways to flavor. Can you imagine the possibilities of all the different flavors and textures to play with? 

I don’t really think there’s one recipe that’s more correct than others. Though this particular recipe is one that I found most successful when used with different fruits dried or fresh, so it’s good to have on your repertoire. This recipe is for a traditional scone, so it’s got a crumbly, almost melts in your mouth texture.

Blueberry Lemon Scone with Peach Glaze (makes 8 scones)

For the scone:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 3oz chilled unsalted butter
• 1/2 heaping cup blueberries or other fruits*
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 egg yolk

*I highly recommend fresh blueberries over frozen ones. If it’s fresh, set them in the freezer - they do not need to freeze, just get sufficiently chilled.  If you insist on using frozen blueberries, let it them thaw out just a little bit, don’t let them get mushy.

For the glaze:

• 2 tbsp peach juice
• 1/2 cup sugar

To make the scones:

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Add lemon zest.

In a separate bowl beat cream and egg yolk.

Cut butter into 1” pieces, and using your fingers or a fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until they’re pea-sized.

Gently fold in the chilled blueberries.

Add cream and egg into the butter mixture, sprinkling the wet ingredients all over, not just in one place. Then use your hand like a paddle, gently form the dough into a ball. Don’t over mix or crush the blueberries. It’s okay if the dough is quite crumbly at this point. It’s better than having a wet and super sticky dough, because it would be harder to handle.

Roll out the dough onto a well-floured surface. Shape into a disk about an inch high. 

Cut into 8 wedges. Brush the tops of each wedge with egg wash made by stirring an egg yolk with half tablespoon of water. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

To glaze:

Whisk the sugar and peach juice until the mixture is smooth. Once scones are done and completely cooled, brush the glaze over the cooled scones.

Allow to set for 10 minutes. Scones can be stored on an air-tight container for up to 2 days, unglazed ones can be frozen up to 5 days.

Read the story behind the recipe: Scone Crit!