I have been in the process of moving from Seattle, WA to Washington D.C. to start a new job. With about a month off in between I have been living at our parents house in Michigan. With not too much on my to-do list my mom has been putting me to work cooking for her many different events, there always seems to be something going on. Book club was hosted at our house and I was put in charge of making breakfast for the ladies. I landed on these homemade scones, perfectly paired with a cup of coffee and easy to pass around.

The recipe I used is from “The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook.” If I have not mentioned this before, it is one of my favorite basic cookbooks. It has a recipe for all the classic dishes and tells you why and exactly how to make the recipes each step of the way, not to mention great photos to go along with each recipe.

The Recipe:

Makes 8 Scones

• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen whole
• 1 1/2 cups (about 7 1/2 ounces) fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream ( I used plain non-fat yogurt)
• 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface (I used 1 cup whole wheat, 1 cup all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon (I used one lime)

Method

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of the wrapper from each stick of frozen butter. Grate the unwrapped ends on the large holes of a box grater. You should grate a total of 8 tablespoons. Place the grated butter in the freezer until needed. Melt the 2 tablespoons of the remaining ungrated butter and set aside. Save the remaining 6 tablespoons for another use. Place the blueberries in the freezer until needed.
2. Whisk the milk and sour cream (or yogurt) in a medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, the baking powder, salt, baking soda, and lemon (or lime) zest in a medium bowl. Add the frozen butter to the flour mixture and toss with your fingers until the butter is thoroughly coated.
3. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture; fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Using a spatula, transfer the dough to a liberally floured work surface. Dust the surface of the dough with flour; with floured hands, kneed the dough six to eight times, until it just holds together in a ragged ball, (do not over kneed the dough), adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.
4. Roll the dough into an approximate 12-inch square. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter, using a bench scraper or metal spatula to release the dough if it sticks to the work surface. Lift the short ends of the dough and fold into thirds again to form an approximate 4-inch square. Transfer the dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.
5. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll into an approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the surface of the dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in the dough. Using a bench scraper or a thin metal spatula, loosen the dough from the work surface. Roll the dough, pressing to form a tight log. Lay the log seam side down and press it into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using a sharp, floured, knife, cut the rectangle crosswise into four equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form two triangles and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy ~ Amanda