Blueberry Scones Cooks Illustrated Recipes

BLUEBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and the cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the 2 2/3 cups flour, all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the baking powder and the salt and mix well. Using a pastry cutter, cut the well-chilled butter into the dry ingredients, working quickly, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Beat the egg with 1/2 cup of the milk and, using a fork, combine this mixture with the flour and butter mixture.
• Divide the dough into 2 balls. Lightly flour a work surface and roll each ball into a 7-inch circle. Sprinkle the blueberries across 1 circle. Top with the second circle and use your hands to carefully mesh the circles together. Pat or lightly roll the dough out until the circle is about 12 inches across. (Don't mush the berries.)
• Cut the circle into 10 wedges. Brush the tops of the scones with the remaining milk, dust with the remaining sugar and transfer to 1 or more ungreased baking sheets, leaving an inch between each scone. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

BLUEBERRY SCONES (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of wrapper from each stick of frozen butter. Grate butter and place grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 tablespoons of remaining ungrated butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 tablespoons butter for another use. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.
• Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.
• Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to liberally floured work surface. Dust surface of 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.
• Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.
• Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll into approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough. Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
• To Make Ahead:.
• After placing the scones on the baking sheet, either refrigerate them overnight or freeze. When ready to bake, for refrigerated scones, heat oven to 425 degrees and follow directions in step 6. For frozen scones, heat oven to 375 degrees, follow directions in step 6, and extend cooking time to 25 to 30 minutes.

JOANNE CHANG'S MAPLE-BLUEBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, briefly mix both flours, the baking powder, baking soda and salt on low speed. Add half the butter and paddle until fully mixed into the flour, 2 to 3 minutes. (This will coat the flour with butter so the scones are tender.)
• Add the remaining butter to the bowl of the stand mixer. Pulse the mixer three or four times to mix the pieces into the dough while keeping them whole. (This step will give you small pieces of butter in the dough, which will help the scones be a bit flaky.)
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, maple syrup, buttermilk and yolk until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the blueberries. With the mixer on low, pour the blueberry mixture into the flour mixture, and paddle on low for about 10 seconds to get some of the liquid mixed into the flour. Stop the mixer, and mix the rest of the loose flour into the dough by hand: Gather and lift the dough with your hands and turn it over in the bowl several times until all the loose flour is mixed in. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 1 day. (This gives the flour time to fully absorb the liquid.)
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and position a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a 1/2-cup measuring cup or ice cream scoop, scoop out 8 mounds of chilled dough, and place them on the baking sheet a few inches apart. Bake scones for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway through the baking time, until the scones are evenly golden brown and firm when you press them.
• While the scones are baking, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and enough maple syrup to make a thick, spreadable glaze. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Rewhisk before using.
• As soon as you remove the scones from the oven, use a pastry brush to brush them with the glaze while they're warm. Let cool on the baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve.

MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH BLUEBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in center. Place a baking mat on a baking sheet, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir in blueberries and zest.
• Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.
• Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a floured knife, cut into four 3-inch squares. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
• Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool.

BLUEBERRY SCONES

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Grate 8 Tbsp.(1 stick) butter on big holes of a box grater, place back in freezer. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter and set aside.
• 2. Wisk together milk and sour cream. Refrigerate until needed. In mixing bowl, wisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until throughly coated.
• 3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold milk into flour with rubber spatula until just combined. Transfer dough to liberly floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour. With floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it holds together in a ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.
• 4. Roll dough into aprox. 12" square. Fold dough in thirds, like a business letter. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again, to form aprox. 4" square. Transfer to a lightly floured plate and chill in freezer 5 min.
• 5. Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll aprox. 12" square. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so blueberries are slightly embedded. Roll dough (may have to use a bench scrapper or spatula to help lift dough) pressing to form a tight log, 12" X 4" rectangle. Use a sharp knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles (I would call them more like squares). Cut each rectangle (or square) diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchemnt lined baking sheet.
• 6. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are brown, 18-25 minutes.
• 7. TO MAKE AHEAD: After placing scones on baking sheet, either refrigerate or freeze. IF REFRIGERATED: When ready to bake heat oven to 425 and follow directions in step 6. IF FROZEN: Heat oven to 375 and follow directions in step 6 and extend baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.
• 8. MY NOTES: 1. I used 1 cup of frozen blueberries and 1/2 c. frozen raspberries. If using frozen fruit, do not thaw. 2. I did not use the whole milk and sour cream. Instead I used 1 c. buttermilk. They still turned out great. 3. The flour I used was just All Purpose, It was not unbleached. 4. I will admitt my dough did not have much of a shaggy look to it. I suppose that could have been because I used buttermilk instead of the sour cream and whole milk. Or maybe I folded milk into flour a little more than I should have. 5. Make sure you use plenty of flour on your work surface and on top of the dough. It is a very soft and sticky dough. 6. For the sugar on buttered tops, I used Sanding Sugar. I think it made them even crunchier. 7. Next time I make these I want to try finely diced apple and raisins mixed with a little cinnamon.
• 9. Variation: Apple Raisin Cinnamon. Follow directions above, replace blueberries with 1 c. small diced apple, 1/2 raisins, 2 tsp. brown sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Mix together well and sprinkle on dough as indicated in step 5.