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Blueberry Scones Recipe - America's Test Kitchen
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 workbowls before use. While the recipe calls for 2 whole sticks of butter, only 10 tablespoons are actually used (see step 1). 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-degree oven. Heat until warmed through and recrisped, 8 to 10 minutes if refrigerated, 16 to 20 minutes if frozen. See final step for information on making the scone dough in advance.
Blueberry Scones
Makes 8
Real British scones are like British humor—steeped in tradition, dry as a bone, and often tasteless. The American versions run the gamut from misshapen muffin-like objects to big-as-your-head cakes.
We wanted to bring together all the best qualities we found in American versions of scones: the sweetness of a coffeehouse confection; the moist freshness of a muffin; the richness and fruit of clotted cream and jam; and the super-flaky crumb of a good biscuit.
We first developed the ultimate plain scone. Increasing the amount of butter and adding enough sugar gave the scones a subtle sweetness without being cloying. Sour cream and milk added a contrasting tang. But with this extra richness and sweetness, we found the traditional biscuit mixing method used in most scone recipes produced heavy and underrisen scones. Taking a couple of hints from puff pastry, we froze the butter to keep it cold as it was being cut into the flour and used a couple of quick folds to create layers of butter that helped the dough rise. We turned to another pastry—cinnamon rolls—for a hint on how to best incorporate the blueberries. To evenly distribute the berries without mashing them, we rolled the dough into a 12-inch square, pressed the berries into the dough, and then rolled the dough into a jellyroll-like log that we flattened into a rectangle before cutting out the scones.
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