Strawberry-Orange Buttermilk Scones

I have gone through a love/hate relationship with scones. I worked at a bakery this past summer and it was my job to make batch after batch of scones.  Let's just say making 9 batches a day by hand is one heck of an arm workout. So by the end of that summer I never wanted to see another scone...or so I thought.

Now that I am back in my own kitchen, I have come to appreciate the simplicity of the scone.  One bowl, a whisk, and a spatula is about all you need. And they are are done in about less than an hour! How great is that? So I guess scones and me are giving this relationship another chance. They were always good to me. And I do have some nice triceps out of the deal as well I suppose.

I adapted this recipe from another blog, The Brown-Eyed Baker, and got the inspiration from Annie's-Eats blog. Two really great blogs I highly recommend you check out if you haven't done so already.  Two great blogs that have inspired me to start my own. Their blogs are light years ahead of mine in sophistication and photography- whereas mine is not even at toddler stage..but I'm gaining..

These scones were everything a scone should be. Buttery, flaky, tender, sweet, and not dry at all! The strawberries were wonderful and I believe I honestly could have added more. But that is just me. The orange icing was the perfect accompaniment. The original recipe says they make 12- I always make a batch of 8 scones. You may also notice there is one missing in the picture-- a chef must taste their creation! Enjoy!

Strawberry-Orange Buttermilk Scones
Adapted originally from Martha Stewart

Makes 8 scones

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour (not self-rising)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup (½ pint) strawberries
½ cup buttermilk (I chose to make my own by adding 1/2 Tbs. of lemon juice to milk)
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers, until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal. Stir in strawberries. Include the zest of 1 orange.

3. Whisk together buttermilk, 1 egg, and the vanilla. Drizzle over flour mixture, and stir lightly with a fork until dough comes together but a small amount of flour remains in the bowl.

4. Turn out dough onto a work surface, and gently knead dough once or twice just to incorporate flour. Pat dough into a 1-inch thick round. Cut into 12 (again I always manage to get only 8) wedges. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.  Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire rack to cool.

5.  Once cooled, drizzle with orange icing if desired.I tend to use a lot, but well I like icing- add as little or as much as you want! If you do not prefer icing, you could always make an egg wash and brush on the scones  before baking and sprinkle some sanding sugar on top.

Serving & storing: The scones are best served immediately, but can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw, and reheat in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.

Orange Icing

1/2 cup, confectioner's sugar

zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1/2 orange

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Once scones are cooled, drizzle on top