Blueberry Scones

Scones used to be one of those things that I loved to order at a coffee shop.  I was totally intimidated to make them so I would just let others make them for me.  Truthfully, I'm intimidated by all pastry.  Cutting the butter into the flour.  Rolling the dough.  And being as rigid about cleanliness as I am, flouring my work surface goes against all my uptight sensibilities.


Then last year, I happened upon a YouTube video from America's Test Kitchen that made scones seem like a breeze!  The trick was grating frozen butter on a cheese grater and incorporating that into the flour, instead of cutting it in with a pastry cutter.   I can do that!


In the past when I've tried to make scones, I had trouble making the cute little triangle shapes.  I had tried rolling the dough in a circle and cutting it like a pie.  Once I even gave up and used a cookie cutter to make rounds, which is fine too.  But this method has you fold a log out of the dough.   The log gives you extra flaky layers and the log allows you to cut the scones into perfect triangles.


It's very important to work with a very cold dough.  Before I put these in the oven, I pop them back into the fridge for about 5 minutes.  As a matter of fact, you can make the log the night before, then slice and bake the scones in the morning.


The recipe seems like a lot of steps, but they really come together quickly.  And when the dough takes its final rest in the freezer for 5 minutes, I take that opportunity to clean the dishes I'd made up to that point.   And in my new house, the sink is inset into the counter so now cleaning up my floured work surface is SO EASY!


Blueberry Scones
adapted from America's Test Kitchen
makes 8 scones

8 Tablespoons cold butter, plus more for brushing
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, frozen

Grate the butter on the large holes of a box grater, and freeze.

Preheat oven to 425, and combine the dry ingredients.  Stir in frozen butter.  Whisk together the sour cream and whole milk, and stir into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just combined.  The dough will be crumbly, but that's okay.

Turn out onto a well-floured surface, and knead a few times.  Roll out into a 12x12 inch square.  Using a bench scraper, fold the dough into thirds, then fold into thirds again in the opposite direction to form a square.  Roll the dough out into a 12x12 inch square again, and refold.  Place on a well-floured plate, and freeze for 5 minutes.

Roll out to a 12x12 inch square for a final time, and press the blueberries into the dough in a single layer.  Carefully roll up, as you would cinnamon rolls.  Press the roll into a 4-inch wide rectangle.  Using the bench scraper, cut into 4 rectangles.  Then cut each rectangle diagonally to make 2 triangles.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  At this point the scones can be baked or refrigerated overnight.  Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 18-25 minutes, or until golden-brown.