Cranberry Buttermilk Scones

Scones are one of those pastries that can be eaten at almost any time; for breakfast, brunch or in the afternoon with coffee or high tea. These scones are the perfect addition to a special Valentine’s or Mother’s Day breakfast, or even served with Thanksgiving Dinner as an upscale biscuit substitute.

Made with buttermilk and dried cranberries, they are crunchy on the outside and buttery on the inside, with a subtle hint of sweetness. And, in addition to malted Organic Bread Flour, they include some Organic Spelt Flour for a bit of whole-grain nutrition and a hint of nuttiness. If you don’t have spelt on hand, feel free to substitute with whole wheat or use all bread flour.

Note: Once you get started, if you find yourself wondering why we keep reiterating to keep everything cold, here’s why: To achieve buttery, flaky scone-based bliss, you need to keep the little bits of butter intact until the moment the dough is placed in the oven.

Formula

Number of Units: 6 scones  /  Unit Weight: 150 grams  /  Total Weight: 900 grams

Timing

Active Time: 20–30 min  /  Inactive Time: 1 hr, 20 min  /  Baking Time: 20–35 min

Process

Prep

Measure and sift all dry ingredients together. Add the cubed butter into the flour mixture and toss to coat the butter lightly in flour. Place in a large mixing bowl in the freezer or refrigerator to keep the ingredients cold.

Measure the buttermilk and zest and also place in the refrigerator to keep cool.

Place the cranberries in a heat proof container and pour hot water from the tap over top, just to cover. Allow to rehydrate for 20 min then strain.

Make an egg wash with one beaten egg and a pinch of salt.

Mix

Once all the ingredients are measured and cooled, take the flour and butter mixture and begin cutting the butter into the flour using two butter knives, a bench scraper, pastry cutter, or your hands. Blend together while trying as best as possible not to warm the butter. Note: If you’re using your hands and you have warm hands, you can always toss the mixture back in the fridge to cool when you’re done.

Once the butter has been incorporated into the flour mixture it should look like loose sand with pea-sized chunks of butter.

Make a well in the center of the flour butter mixture and add all the liquid and zest (do not add the fruit just yet!). Begin working from the outside of your flour/butter and liquid volcano and slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the buttermilk to form a rough dough.

Before the dough is fully incorporated, add the strained, dried fruit. Incorporate the fruit gently into the dough will finalize the mixing and make sure there are no dry spots of flour remaining. Do not overwork the dough at this point! Mix just until the liquid has absorbed the flour.

Shape the dough into a block approximately 12″ long x 4″ wide x 1.5″ tall.

Brush liberally with egg wash, but not so much that you create omelets on top of your scones. After applying the egg wash, apply a liberal coat of coarse organic sugar over the top.

Divide the dough evenly into triangular pieces and transfer to a plate or sheet tray and put in the freezer. Allow to cool for at least 60 minutes to prevent the scones from spreading too much during baking. Note: to store your scones for baking at a later date, once frozen, wrap them in plastic and place in freezer bags. They will keep for up to 3 months this way. 

Bake

When ready to bake, preheat your over to 350˚F, place the scones a couple inches apart on a parchment-lined tray, and bake for 20–35 min (or until golden brown).

Allow to cool for ~10 minutes (if you can wait) before digging in to fresh, warm scones! Serve with butter if you’re feeling decadent 🙂

FROM THE MILL

Organic Artisan Bakers Craft Plus

Unbleached malted bread flour

#O-1800

Organic Whole Spelt Flour

Finely milled 100% whole Spelt flour

#O-3300