Thursday, April 8, 2010

Orange Buttermilk Scones


 These buttery scones are tender and light with a sweet orange flavor. The sugar topping lends a nice crispy crunch. They are best eaten fresh out of the oven and are perfect as they are, no butter or jam necessary.

To get a head start for the morning I need them, I mix the flour/sugar mixture with the butter the night before and let it chill over night in the refrigerator. In the morning all I have to do is add the orange zest, the buttermilk and bake.
The simple orange zest recipe is our family favorite, but you could add a handful of dried cherries or cranberries, some chopped nuts, or any zest or extract to make these scones any flavor you desire.


Orange Buttermilk Scones
Adapted from Baking with Julia
3 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoons salt
6 oz butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons orange zest.
For baking:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar



Preheat oven to 425F.
Mix together  flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add cold butter and mix with a pastry blender or fork. The mixture should resemble coarse corn meal; you should have some small (size of peas) chunks of butter (this is where I cover it with plastic wrap and leave it over night in the refrigerator). Mix in orange zest and buttermilk to form a soft dough. Gather the dough into a ball pressing it gently to make sure it holds together. Place dough on floured board; knead about 6-8 turns, divide the dough in half.  Roll each half of dough into a 1/2inch thick circle. Cut into six (or eight) wedges. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425F for 10-12 minutes

Enjoy!
This was my entry for  Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.  Stop by and check out all of the tasty recipes.