Bready or Not: Strawberry Scones
I confess, I have a thing for strawberries. My mom says it's because she inhaled gallons of strawberry freeze from Superior Dairy while she was pregnant with me. Maybe it's because of those in vitro strawberries, or maybe it's genetic. In any case, I love them.
It makes me sad that we live in a place (i.e. a vast, scalding hot desert) where I can't buy fresh, sweet strawberries like the ones back home. But I still compulsively buy strawberries on sale, even if they aren't quite sweet or ripe enough to be tasty on their own.
So what do I do with them?
I make lots of strawberry-banana smoothies, and I whip up these strawberry scones to feed myself and the husband.
This scones recipe is really nifty because you can completely mix the scones and then stick them in the freezer on a cookie sheet. Once they become icy little bricks, you can place them in a freezer bag and pull'em out to heat up when you feel the urge. That's right, they go straight from the freezer to oven. In my toaster oven, it takes about 25-30 minutes to bake them at 400; I imagine it would be about the same in a standard oven, but watch them closely after the 20 minute point.
Also, I learned a secret about scones by reading a King Arthur Flour cookbook: when you're mixing, don't completely incorporate the butter. It's fine to leave pea-size and smaller butter chunks. It's what makes the scones so tender. I wish I had known this years ago, when my first attempts at from-scratch scones ended up so dry!
Strawberry Scones
Recipe from Confessions of a Tart.
Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries (or other fruit)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup half-and-half or cream or cold buttermilk
[Remember you can easily make homemade buttermilk with milk and lemon juice or vinegar.]
Topping:
1 tablespoon turbinado or granulated sugar (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
If using larger fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle fruit with 1/2 tablespoon sugar; set aside to macerate.
Combine remaining sugar with flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter, using a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut in butter. Stir in fruit; then add cream/half-and-half/buttermilk all at once. Flour your hands, and gently knead and turn the dough to make sure you get all the dry bits from the bottom. Sprinkle dough with extra flour if it's too sticky to work with.
Pat the dough into a circle 3/4 inch thick. If any berries peek out, push them into dough. Cut circle into 6-8 wedges (or smaller), then transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them. It's imperative you leave space between the scones, as they will expand in the oven! Sprinkle the top with the extra granulated sugar, if using.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown.
OM NOM NOM.
It makes me sad that we live in a place (i.e. a vast, scalding hot desert) where I can't buy fresh, sweet strawberries like the ones back home. But I still compulsively buy strawberries on sale, even if they aren't quite sweet or ripe enough to be tasty on their own.
So what do I do with them?
I make lots of strawberry-banana smoothies, and I whip up these strawberry scones to feed myself and the husband.
This scones recipe is really nifty because you can completely mix the scones and then stick them in the freezer on a cookie sheet. Once they become icy little bricks, you can place them in a freezer bag and pull'em out to heat up when you feel the urge. That's right, they go straight from the freezer to oven. In my toaster oven, it takes about 25-30 minutes to bake them at 400; I imagine it would be about the same in a standard oven, but watch them closely after the 20 minute point.
Also, I learned a secret about scones by reading a King Arthur Flour cookbook: when you're mixing, don't completely incorporate the butter. It's fine to leave pea-size and smaller butter chunks. It's what makes the scones so tender. I wish I had known this years ago, when my first attempts at from-scratch scones ended up so dry!
Strawberry Scones
Recipe from Confessions of a Tart.
Ingredients:
1 cup strawberries (or other fruit)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup half-and-half or cream or cold buttermilk
[Remember you can easily make homemade buttermilk with milk and lemon juice or vinegar.]
Topping:
1 tablespoon turbinado or granulated sugar (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
If using larger fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle fruit with 1/2 tablespoon sugar; set aside to macerate.
Combine remaining sugar with flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter, using a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut in butter. Stir in fruit; then add cream/half-and-half/buttermilk all at once. Flour your hands, and gently knead and turn the dough to make sure you get all the dry bits from the bottom. Sprinkle dough with extra flour if it's too sticky to work with.
Pat the dough into a circle 3/4 inch thick. If any berries peek out, push them into dough. Cut circle into 6-8 wedges (or smaller), then transfer wedges to the cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between them. It's imperative you leave space between the scones, as they will expand in the oven! Sprinkle the top with the extra granulated sugar, if using.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until the tops are beginning to brown.
OM NOM NOM.
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