Orange SconesIf you cringe at the thought of a dry and crumbly scone, this is a very simple and basic recipe you must have! We throw in some crucial techniques to make sure you turn out a tender and flaky scone worth bragging about!
3 cups all purpose flour (13 1/2 oz.)
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter
2 TBSP grated orange or lemon peel
1/2 cup cold orange juice
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
Preheat oven to 400F for 40 minutes
1. Blend the first 5 dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Slice butter into chunks, add to flour mixture, use a pastry blender to cut and blend butter into flour mixture, blend in orange/lemon peel.
3. mix milk and orange juice together, gently fold into flour mixture in 3-4 stages (gentle folding keeps scones light and tender) just until ingredients combined .
4. Use a spatula to gently remove dough from bowl and place on a floured counter.
5. Flour your hands and gently form dough into a ball, use a large knife or dough scraper to cut ball into to 2 equal pieces.
6. Form both pieces into a ball and gently flatten both to 3 inches, use a knife or dough scraper to divide each circle into 4 wedges.
7. Place wedges on a half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake 15-20 minutes til done and golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and glaze immediately while scones are still hot.
Glaze: (prepare while scones are baking)
1 TBSP butter
3 TBSP orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
confectioners sugar
Microwave butter and juice in a small cup until hot, add vanilla, stir in enough confectioners sugar to suit your desired thickness.
You may swap fruits, candies, nuts, etc. for this versatile recipe. Take care to add a little less milk if using wet fruit.
Tips:
* fold ingredients together for tenderness, don't beat the dough
* using very cold milk and cold butter ensures flakiness
* use parchment paper for easy release of scones from baking pan