I picked up a scone from Starbucks the other day, and was severely disappointed. Hard, doughy and more like a blueberry biscuit than anything -- it was the ultimate insult to what a scone should be. Feeling totally unsatisfied and cheated of my scone allotment, I went home in search of something that would be able to somewhat redeem the biscuit I had earlier.
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Well, I think found it. This (dare I say) perfect scone recipe yields buttery and flaky scones that become delicately crumbly in your mouth. AC and I ate them right when they came out of the oven (hard to resist when a rich buttery aroma is wafting through your entire apartment!), and they were unbelievably soft, fluffy and flavorful. The scones also have a subtle orange essence that compliments the tartness of the cranberries wonderfully. My only complaint is that they definitely didn't taste as good the day after...does anyone know if that's common for most scone recipes?
Cranberry-Orange Scones
Adapted from Bon Appetit, November 1998
Makes 10
3 C all purpose flour
1/3 C sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 T grated orange peel
3/4 C chilled, unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 C dried cranberries
1 C chilled buttermilk
Preheat oven to 400. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Mix in orange peel. Cut the butter into the flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in dried cranberries. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns. Form dough into 1.5-inch thick round or rectangle. Cut into 10 triangles. Transfer wedges to baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until tops are slightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet, and then transfer to cooling rack.
Looks yummy! I know it's totally "cheating" but have you tried Iveta Gourmet scone mixes? My dad sent me a couple of packages and they were surprisingly good (and moist) - could be my unsophisticated palate though ;)
ReplyDeleteI concur on the Starbucks issue...scones are always better the day of, but sometimes if you pop them in the oven for a few minutes you can bring them back to life even if they are a day or two old.
ReplyDelete@ktj: I haven't tried Iveta Gourmet scone mixes...but just googled them and they sound pretty good! However, I absolutely refuse to admit that a mix could ever taste better than something from scratch (hmmmph!) ;)
ReplyDelete@laura: Yes! Totally concur on heating them up in the oven. Thanks for the suggestion, it does wonders...but again, nothing beats a fresh-out-of-the-oven scone :)
Nice scones and nice blog! Our mothers spoke and put me onto it. Like the pictures, recipes and commentary. Keep it up -- I will live and eat vicariously in SF through you. (Rachel)
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