I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! We spent the holiday at home trying to comfort our anxiety ridden dog from the noise of the fireworks. Our puppy didn’t seem to even notice the noise but our older female dog has a tough time with the holiday every year and spent the entire night under bed. I did, however, happen to get a lot of DIY projects done over the weekend which means some great posts coming your way very soon, including antiqued mirrors and crown molding! Stay tuned for those. I also made my first attempt at homemade scones and am pretty excited with how tasty they are.
I don’t do a ton of baking and am usually a little intimidated by pastries but this recipe was relatively easy to follow so I think it’s good for beginners. I got the recipe from another food blog that I’ve been following religiously in the last few weeks, Food 52. I’m not sure if this is done in all scones recipes but the key to these tasty and moist scones is keeping the butter a bit “chunky” in the dough and not completely mixing it in and also freezing the dough before baking.
Raspberry Scones
2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on tops of scones
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup frozen raspberries (or any frozen berries of your choice)
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing on tops of scones
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1. In a large bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, place the dry ingredients and pulse to combine. (If you don’t have a food processor, this can be done by hand in a mixing bowl. The food processor just makes step 2 a bit easier)
2. Add the butter and pulse about 10 or so times. You want to retain some chunks of butter, not mix it all in completely. Transfer the flour mixture to a large mixing bowl.
3. Gently toss the frozen berries into the flour mixture and lightly coat them. (Using frozen berries and coating them with flour before hand with help to keep them from bleeding as much and turning your dough completely pink)
4. In a large measuring cup, place the heavy cream, egg and vanilla. Mix well and pour into flour mixture. With a dinner fork, fold the wet into the dry as you gradually turn the bowl. It’s a folding motion you are shooting for here, not a stirring motion. When the dough begins to gather, use a plastic bowl scraper to gently knead the dough into a ball (or you may find it easier to use your hands). If there is still a lot of flour at the bottom of the bowl, drizzle a bit more cream, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
5. Transfer the dough ball to a floured cutting board. Gently pat into a 6″ to 7″ circle. With a pastry circle or a large chef’s knife, cut the dough like a pie into 8 triangles.
6. Place the scones on wax-paper lined sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once they are frozen, you can store them in a freezer bag for a few weeks until you’re ready to bake them.
7. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place frozen scones on a parchment-line sheet pan, about 1 inch apart. Brush with cream and sprinkle tops with sugar.
8. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. They are done when the tops begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
These are great to make and freeze ahead of time when you have people coming to stay at your home. Try different mix-in berries and let me know how they turn out!