Cranberry Orange Scones
It has been stifling hot lately and you may think I'm crazy for suggesting that you turn on the oven but a woman cannot live on popsicles alone! I need some real food man! Something that I can slather butter and jam on and bite into!
These cranberry, orange scones are great for breakfast, as a light lunch with fruit and cheese or to toast the next day and serve with tea!
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and sift 3 cups of all purpose flour into a large bowl
...add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar,
...2 tsps. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt and 3/4 tsp. of ground cloves.
Next, using the fine shredding panel on your cheese grater, zest 1 whole orange.
Add zest to the flour/spice mixture and stir until all is combined, making sure the clumps of orange zest are broken up and coated with flour.
Next, cut 3/4 cup of unsalted, cold butter cut into cubes (1/4 cup of butter=4 tbsps.)...you will end up with 12 cubes...add to the flour mixture,
...then cut the butter in using a pastry blender or two knives, but as I have mentioned in a previous post, using two knives is a bit of a pain in the arse...it's just worth picking up one of these handy tools!
Work the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse pea- sized crumbs.
Next, toss in about 1 cup of roughly chopped dried cranberries or leave them whole if you are feeling defiant! Give the mixture a stir to incorporate the cranberries.
Pour in 1 cup of cold buttermilk.
Use a fork to stir in buttermilk until a sticky dough forms.
Then, using your hands, gently form the dough into a ball, taking care not to overwork it...overworking the dough will create lead-like paper weights instead of scones!
Divide the dough in half and flatten gently with your fingers...
...then roll each piece into a rectangle (about 1 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface...again, being careful not to overwork dough!
Using a sharp knife or a pizza wheel, slice the rectangles vertically, then cut into wedges.
Perhaps your scones will be cut more evenly than mine, but hey...nobody's perfect! (this heat makes me grumpy lol! )
Place the wedges about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet (I used a stoneware pan so I didn't need parchment)
Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown...you will have to bake your scones in 2 batches to prevent over crowding on your baking sheet.
Transfer to wire cooling racks then enjoy with a cup of tea! Maybe, considering it's 1000 degrees out, you should enjoy these with iced Sweet Tea?!
Cranberry Orange Scones
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
finely grated zest of 1 whole orange
3/4 cup of cold, unsalted butter (cut into 12 cubes)
1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped...or not!
1 cup cold buttermilk
1. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and orange zest...stir to combine.
3. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs.
4. Toss in the cranberries, stirring to evenly distribute throughout mixture.
5. Add buttermilk, stirring with a fork until sticky dough forms.
6. Next, using your hands, gently form dough into a ball...divide in half then gently roll each half into a 1 inch thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
7. Slice each rectangle in half vertically then cut into wedges. Place wedges on a parchment lined baking sheet.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Transfer to wire cooling racks.
* These are best eaten the day they are made but are excellent toasted the next day!
Barely adapted from the "Recipes from Home" cookbook