A couple of weeks ago, I went on a run with a friend of mine. We had a good time talking the whole 5+ miles and I barely noticed we ran that far (until the next day when my legs were really sore). We’ve been trying to plan a time to run together again since then, but it seems there is always something. So we decided to have breakfast together instead. Being someone who doesn’t like to show up empty handed, I started thinking about what I should bring: biscuits, muffins, … scones!
I have never liked scones from coffee shops. They are just too dry. But I am game to try making things on my own before saying I don’t like something across the board (another good example of this would be biscotti). I was intimidated by scones at first. Oh, the dough seemed easy enough. I mean, I’ve been making biscuits since before I could drive, and its really just a modified biscuit dough (or are biscuits a modified scone dough? hmm… ). But I (wrongly) believed you needed a special pan to make scones. After a little reading, I found out that you don’t need a special pan at all. The Barefoot Contessa uses a fluted cookie cutter and then a knife to divide it into triangles, but really just a knife will do it as long as (like me) you’re not too fussy about their shape.
The first time I made these blueberry scones was Thanksgiving morning. We ate them warm with tea. And then room temperature in the afternoon as a snack. Dan was in Starbucks later that same day comparing notes with some random guy about all the good food their girlfriends had cooked recently. The scones pushed Dan’s list over the top so he won the “I’m more spoiled than you” contest. Haha. (he has been requesting that I make these again ever since).
I made a dozen flaky and tender scones and took half of them with me for breakfast with my girl friend. They were the perfect accompaniment to the frittata and tea. The other half dozen made their way to Dan’s house… there was much rejoicing.
Blueberry Hill Scones (adapted from The Good Housekeeping Baking
)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut up
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen. if frozen, thawed)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or not).
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter (using a pastry blender) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add blueberries and toss to mix.
3. In a small bowl, mix cream, eggs and lemon zest until blended.
4. Add the liquid to the flour mixture. Stir just until a soft dough forms (I had some flour left in the bottom of the bowl. I decided that was ok since most of it was in a soft dough ball).
5. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough in bowl 3 to 4 times, just until it holds together. Do not overmix!
6. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, shape each half into a 6-inch round. Cut each round into 6 wedges. With a large spatula, place each wedge on your baking sheet, 1 inch apart (I did not do this and I got a giant, slightly perforated mass of scones — see photo above — that I had to recut after removing from the oven. don’t be like me… follow the directions, put them at least 1 inch apart.)
7. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm. (If kept tightly wrapped, these will keep for a couple of days. But they are best warm from the oven). Enjoy!
Tagged as: blueberry, breakfast, good housekeeping baking, scones
