Sweet Berry Scones Recipes

RICH AND SWEET BERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to the middle position; preheat oven to 425°.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Freeze, then grate 8 T butter over the large holes of a box grater.
• Keep frozen until needed.
• Place the berries in the freezer until needed.
• Whisk the milk and sour cream together in a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
• Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl.
• Add the frozen grated butter and toss with your fingers until thoroughly coated.
• Fold in the chilled milk mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not over mix).
• Turn the dough and any floury bits out onto a well-floured counter.
• Lightly flour your hands and the dough and knead the dough gently 6 to 8 times until it just holds together in a ragged ball, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.
• Roll the dough out into a 12-inch square; fold the top and bottom of the dough over the center (like a business letter).
• Fold up the sides of the dough to form a 4-inch square; transfer the dough to a lightly floured plate and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and roll again into a 12-inch square.
• Sprinkle the berries evenly over the dough, and press them lightly into the dough.
• Loosen the dough from the counter with a bench scraper, and roll into a tight log and pinch the seam closed.
• Lay the dough seam side down and press into a 12 x 4 inch rectangle.
• Using a floured chef's knife, slice the dough crosswise into 4 equal rectangles, then slice each rectangle on the diagonal into 2 triangles.
• Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.
• Melt the remaining 2 T butter, then brush it over the scones and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
• Bake until the scone tops are lightly golden brown, 18-25 minutes, rotating the pan half-way through baking.
• Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

THE BEST GLAZED MIXED BERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment; set aside.
• In a large bowl, add 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
• Add the butter, and with a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter in. You can use a food processor, but I find not having to wash it is a big time-saver. I smoosh the butter with forks and when it's the size of large marbles, I use my hands and knead it in. It will feel like semi-wet, cool sand. Some larger pea-sized butter clumps are okay; set bowl aside.
• In a small bowl, add the egg, sour cream, vanilla, and whisk to combine until smooth.
• Pour wet mixture over dry, and fold until just combined with a soft-tipped spatula; don't overmix or scones will be tough. Dough will be wet and shaggy.
• Fold in the berries and optional zest.
• Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons flour over a Silpat or clean work surface and lightly coat hands.
• Turn dough out onto surface and knead it into a 8-inch round, approximately. Dough is very moist, wet, sticky, and tacky, but if it's being too stubborn or too wet to come together, sprinkle with flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you get it to come together and into a round.
• With a large knife, slice round into 8 equal-sized wedges.
• Using a flat spatula or pie turner, transfer wedges to prepared baking sheet spaced at least 2-inches apart. Do not crowd because scones puff and spread while baking. Tip - try to make sure there are no exposed berries touching the baking sheet because they'll be prone to burning.
• Optionally, sprinkle each wedge with a generous pinch of turbinado sugar, about 1 teaspoon each.
• Bake for about 18 minutes, or until scones are very lightly golden and cooked through. 18 minutes in my oven with frozen fruit is perfect, but if using fresh fruit, baking time will likely be reduced. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Because they're baking in quite a hot oven, watch them closely starting after about 15 minutes to ensure the bottoms aren't getting too browned.
• Allow scones to cool on baking tray for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. While the scones cool, make the glaze.
• In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and cream (or citrus juice).
• Whisk together until smooth. Depending on desired consistency, you may need to play with the cream and sugar ratios slightly.
• Evenly drizzle the glaze over the scones before serving.