Dad's Blueberry Scones
From America's Test Kitchen Notes: It is important to work the dough as little as possible—work quickly and knead and fold the dough only the number of times called for. The butter should be frozen solid before grating. In hot or humid environments, chill the flour mixture and work bowls before use. While the recipe calls for 2 whole sticks of butter, only 10 T are actually used. If fresh berries are unavailable, an equal amount of frozen berries (do not defrost) can be substituted. An equal amount of raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries can be used in place of the blueberries. Cut larger berries into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces before incorporating. Refrigerate or freeze leftover scones, wrapped in foil, in an airtight container. To serve, remove foil and place scones on a baking sheet in a 375°F oven. Heat until warmed through and re-crisped, 8 to 10 minutes if refrigerated, 16 to 20 minutes if frozen. See final step for information on making the scone dough in advance.
Makes 8 scones
Ingredients
-- 1 tbsp sugar (for sprinkling)
-- 2 tsp baking powder
-- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10oz), plus additional for work surface
-- 1/2 cup sour cream
-- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (~7 1/2 oz), picked over (see notes) or frozen blueberries
-- 1/2 cup sugar (3.5oz)
-- 1/2 cup whole milk
-- 1/4 tsp baking soda
-- 1 tsp lemon zest
-- 16 tbsp unsalted butter (2 sticks), frozen whole (see notes)
-- 1/2 tsp table salt
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Score and remove 1/2 of wrapper from frozen butter. Grate unwrapped ends on large holes of box grater (total of 8 T). Put grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 T of remaining butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 T butter for another use. Put blueberries in freezer until needed. 2. Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; chill until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2 C sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest in another medium bowl. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until coated. 3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula till just combined. Transfer to liberally floured work surface. Dust dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. 4. Roll dough into an approximately 12" square. Fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using a bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends and fold into thirds again to form an approximately 4" square. Transfer dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes. 5. Transfer dough to a floured work surface and roll into an approximately 12" square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are embedded in dough. Using bench scraper, loosen dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam- side down and press log into a 12" by 4" rectangle. Using a sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to baking sheet. 6. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack about 10 minutes. Make Ahead: Put unbaked scones on baking sheet, and either refrigerate them overnight or freeze them. To bake, for refrigerated, heat oven to 425°F and follow step 6. For frozen, heat oven to 375°F and bake 25–30 minutes.
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