Making scones with my dad is one of my earliest childhood memories of baking.
That, and mixing and mixing and mixing and mixing my mum’s chocolate buttermilk cake. She always loved me enough to say it tasted sooo much better when I mixed it for her.
Yeah, right.
Anyway. I only remember my dad ever baking two things – carrot cake, and scones.
They were always the classic round English scones with jam and cream, and sometimes had currants baked into them.
I always sat on the bench next to him as he made the dough. My job was to help cut the scones into circles and to watch as he whipped the cream.
Although this is a fond memory, plain, traditional scones were never really my thing.
They’re often bland, boring, dry and have a baking soda aftertaste. And I don’t like jam. Or cream. So, um, no scones for me, thanks.
When we had to make them at culinary school, I scrunched up my nose. When they were part of our exam at culinary school, I scrunched up my nose. And when my boss asked me to make scones at work a few months ago, I scrunched up my nose.
Until he handed me the Tartine book and I tasted these.
It was scone love.
I just knew I had to bake them for you, so here they are the way I love them, studded with juicy blueberries (instead of the original currants).
These babies, all warm and smothered in butter, were my breakfast this morning. X
- 4¾ cup plain flour (680g)
- ½ cup caster (superfine) sugar (100g)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 250g unsalted butter, cold (1 cup + 1 tbsp)
- 375ml buttermilk (1½ cups)
- Zest of 1 lemon, grated
- 200g frozen blueberries (7 oz)
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- Raw sugar, for sprinkling
- Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F) and line two trays with baking paper.
- Put the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (you can also make these by hand).
- Cut the butter into small cubes and add it to the mixer. Turn it onto a low speed and mix until the mixture is sandy but you still have pea-sized flecks of butter through it.
- Add the buttermilk and lemon zest, and mix on a low speed until the dough begins to come together.
- At this point, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and add the blueberries.
- Mix the dough together with your hands, being careful not to knead it or crush the blueberries, until it comes together. You may need to add a little more buttermilk.
- Pat the dough into a rectangle about 1.5 inches thick.
- Using a sharp chef's knife, cut the dough lengthways down the middle, then cut each long rectangle into 6 triangles.
- Place on the prepared baking trays, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with raw sugar.
- Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until golden.
- Eat while warm! Makes 12 scones.
- Happy baking!
Adapted from Tartine.