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