Jul 30, 2014, Updated Jan 02, 2018 It’s only been a week since I came back from my vacation and in these 7 days I must have thought about baking a million things! Well didn’t I say I am addicted to baking! Hmm it’s not that I didn’t bake in India, I did a LOT but the comfort of baking in your kitchen is something else. I have all the ingredients here plus I know my oven. You know how it is, it takes some time to get familiar with an oven so yeah back home I had to start from scratch plus the oven was so small. Anyway so finally today I got around making these beautiful blueberry scones. Why scones? because they have been on my “to bake” list for long now, like really long. So when I got this huge box of fresh blueberries from Costco the other day I just had to make these scones. Aren’t they beautiful!
2 things are very important for getting the perfect scone texture. Use very cold butter. I took out my butter out of the fridge, cut it into small cubes and then kept it in the freezer for an hour or so. Why do we need very cold butter for making scones? The chilled butter is cut into the flour till is resembles bread crumbs. When you put the scones to bake, the fat in the butter evaporates which leads to steam, which further leads to air pockets resulting in a flaky texture which is a must for scones! This is what I love about baking – everything is scientific and is done for a reason. Do not overwork the dough. Be very gentle while working with the scone dough, you don’t want to overmix else it will lead to gluten formation which in turn will make the scones tough and I’m sure you want your scones to be soft and nice. Method In a bowl whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the granulated sugar and whisk till well combined. Stir in the cold butter cubes (use very cold butter) and cut it into the flour using a pastry blender or 2 knives. You can also use your fingertips. Cut the butter till the flour resembles bread crumbs (see picture). In another bowl break an egg and whisk it. Add in the vanilla and cream and mix till combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mix in parts. Add in the blueberries and mix till it comes together as a dough. Handle the dough carefully and do not overmix. It will be little sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured working surface. Knead the dough once or twice to make it all smooth.
Using your hands shape the dough into an 8 inch disc. Cut into 8 equal size wedges using a very sharp knife. [Clearly my scones are NOT equal at all, never-mind!] Transfer the scones to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush the top of each scone with heavy cream using a pastry brush. Sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F degrees for 20-25 minutes or till they are firm to touch and light golden brown in color. A toothpick inserted in the center on scone would come out clean. Remove from oven and allow it to cool. Sprinkle with some more turbinado sugar if desired. Serve warm with some butter or fruits preserve or eat as it is.
- Scones are best eaten the same day. If you are not going to eat them right away freeze them by wrapping them in plastic wrap and then packing them in a freezer bag.
- You can either use fresh or frozen blueberries for this recipe. If using fresh blueberries [like I did], use the ones that are firm. The gooey ones will bleed more and make your dough all magenta in color. If using frozen blueberries do not thaw, add them straight to the dough.
- I strongly recommend using heavy cream although you can use milk but cream adds a lot to the final texture and taste so I highly recommend it. * If you do not have turbinado sugar you can sprinkle the scones with some confectioners sugar in stead once they are out of the oven.
- You can use unsalted butter in place of salted butter. Blueberry Scones
title: “Blueberry Scones " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-09” author: “Lynda Harvey”
Jul 30, 2014, Updated Jan 02, 2018 It’s only been a week since I came back from my vacation and in these 7 days I must have thought about baking a million things! Well didn’t I say I am addicted to baking! Hmm it’s not that I didn’t bake in India, I did a LOT but the comfort of baking in your kitchen is something else. I have all the ingredients here plus I know my oven. You know how it is, it takes some time to get familiar with an oven so yeah back home I had to start from scratch plus the oven was so small. Anyway so finally today I got around making these beautiful blueberry scones. Why scones? because they have been on my “to bake” list for long now, like really long. So when I got this huge box of fresh blueberries from Costco the other day I just had to make these scones. Aren’t they beautiful!
2 things are very important for getting the perfect scone texture. Use very cold butter. I took out my butter out of the fridge, cut it into small cubes and then kept it in the freezer for an hour or so. Why do we need very cold butter for making scones? The chilled butter is cut into the flour till is resembles bread crumbs. When you put the scones to bake, the fat in the butter evaporates which leads to steam, which further leads to air pockets resulting in a flaky texture which is a must for scones! This is what I love about baking – everything is scientific and is done for a reason. Do not overwork the dough. Be very gentle while working with the scone dough, you don’t want to overmix else it will lead to gluten formation which in turn will make the scones tough and I’m sure you want your scones to be soft and nice. Method In a bowl whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the granulated sugar and whisk till well combined. Stir in the cold butter cubes (use very cold butter) and cut it into the flour using a pastry blender or 2 knives. You can also use your fingertips. Cut the butter till the flour resembles bread crumbs (see picture). In another bowl break an egg and whisk it. Add in the vanilla and cream and mix till combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mix in parts. Add in the blueberries and mix till it comes together as a dough. Handle the dough carefully and do not overmix. It will be little sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured working surface. Knead the dough once or twice to make it all smooth.
Using your hands shape the dough into an 8 inch disc. Cut into 8 equal size wedges using a very sharp knife. [Clearly my scones are NOT equal at all, never-mind!] Transfer the scones to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush the top of each scone with heavy cream using a pastry brush. Sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F degrees for 20-25 minutes or till they are firm to touch and light golden brown in color. A toothpick inserted in the center on scone would come out clean. Remove from oven and allow it to cool. Sprinkle with some more turbinado sugar if desired. Serve warm with some butter or fruits preserve or eat as it is.
- Scones are best eaten the same day. If you are not going to eat them right away freeze them by wrapping them in plastic wrap and then packing them in a freezer bag.
- You can either use fresh or frozen blueberries for this recipe. If using fresh blueberries [like I did], use the ones that are firm. The gooey ones will bleed more and make your dough all magenta in color. If using frozen blueberries do not thaw, add them straight to the dough.
- I strongly recommend using heavy cream although you can use milk but cream adds a lot to the final texture and taste so I highly recommend it. * If you do not have turbinado sugar you can sprinkle the scones with some confectioners sugar in stead once they are out of the oven.
- You can use unsalted butter in place of salted butter. Blueberry Scones
