For me, the kitchen is a lab, a workshop, a playground, an amusement park… To hold my interest, cooking and baking need to spark my curiosity and entertain my creative intrigue.
With that framework as my foundation, I only consult recipes for a general blueprint — the basic formula, so to speak. The fun truly starts for me when I feel into how the various ingredients wish to be combined in that moment. As a result, common quantity ratios might change, and unplanned substitutions happen. Scents, colors, textures, and flavors guide me.
No two batches ever turn out the same way. Thus, answering requests for precise recipes for a baked good I created is a challenge for me. How does one quantify “a little bit of this, and a little bit of that”? For this particular creation, I’ve decided to meet such a challenge to the best of my abilities. (See below.)
This batch of scones turned out soft and buttery, gooey on the inside with bursting fruit only barely contained by a very thin, flaky outer crust — scones so pale, they barely look baked. It was not my intention to create this outcome, yet the creation found favor among those having a taste. For me, that’s all that matters.
When food tastes of the love we gave to the process of creation, then we can never be off the mark.
Happy baking/cooking!
Blueberry Lemon Almond Scones
Makes 12-16 scones, depending on size.
Ingredients:
• 1 stick of very cold, real butter
• 1 1/2 cups of flour (I used organic unbleached)
• 3/4 cup of almond flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar (I use raw sugar)
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of milk
• Grated lemon zest
• 1 cup of fresh blueberries
Lemon drizzle topping:
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
(The quantity of all ingredients is approximate.)
Tools:
• 2 bowls (1 large, 1 small)
• Grater (medium-large grate size)
• 2 forks
• Measuring tools
• Flour sifter
• Wooden board (or clean countertop)
• Dough cutter/bench scraper
• Cookie sheet
• Parchment paper
• Skinny kitchen knife or toothpick
• Cooling rack
• Metal spatula
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or 400, if you like the scones less pale).
Note: This dough does not like to get warm, so the preparation time should be short. I did it in 15 minutes total (including fridge rest time for the dough).
Coarsely grate the cold butter into the large bowl. Add sugar and powdered sugar. Work ingredients together with a fork, to minimize heating the dough with your hands.
Add all other dry ingredients, sifting the flour. Gradually incorporate all ingredients just enough to blend, while keeping the butter clumps from dissolving completely. This gives the scones a light texture.
Add milk as needed to create a loose, crumbly mix — moist, but not sticking to your hands. Work the dough minimally to get flaky scones.
Place the dough in the fridge for approximately 7 minutes to cool down.
Move the dough from your bowl onto a floured wooden board (or countertop). Add blueberries into the mix while quickly shaping — not kneading — the dough into a round loaf about 1” thick. Adding the berries last keeps them from dissolving in the mix.
Use a dough cutter to cut the loaf into 4 wedges, like a pizza. Halve each wedge, then halve again to form roughly triangular pieces. Place scones on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on temperature and type of oven), or until a knife/toothpick inserted into the center of a test scone comes out clean.
Mix the ingredients for the lemon drizzle in the small bowl, blending the powdered sugar and the lemon juice with a fork to make a smooth mix that flows like honey.
Remove the baked scones from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. As the scones are cooling, drizzle each one with a bit of the lemon drizzle mix.
Enjoy!
