Along with black pudding, kippers, fish and chips, pasties and Cheddar cheese, few culinary fancies are as readily identifiable as fixtures of the British dining tradition as afternoon tea. A favorite pastime for centuries, the traditional casual exchange of warm pleasantries includes another quintessentially British foodstuffs: scones.
With the royal wedding today, the OhioAuthority kitchen considered an early morning pick-me-up to match the sweet sentiment and pageantry of the historic affair. This raspberry scone recipe takes the traditional version and adds raspberries, yogurt and vanilla extract. The mixture keeps the airy lightness of the original, though the additional ingredients give the scones a toothsome tartness.
RECIPE:
Raspberry Scones
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into very small pieces
3/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until blended. Add the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender (if you do not have a pastry blender, use two knives instead). The resulting mixture will resemble pea-sized crumbs. Stir raspberries into mixture careful not to smash the berries. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, vanilla extract and egg. Add wet ingredients to flour-butter-raspberry mixture and mix until the dough takes shape, careful not to over mix. If the dough doesn't easily take shape, judiciously add flour until a workable ball has been formed.
Sprinkle a clean work surface with flour, and gently knead the dough five times. Roll the dough into a circle, approximately 7 inches in diameter and 1-1/2 inches thick, and cut into eight equally sized triangles. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and transfer scones to sheet.
Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the middle of one scone. If it comes out clean, the scones are done. Remove scones from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Additional note:
Some prefer a crispy top on their scones. It gives the scones an extra crunch, and an attractive toasted top. Turn on the oven's broiler, place baked scones on baking sheet and sprinkle the scones with confectioners sugar. Keep a close eye once scones are under broiler, as they will only need a few seconds. Once the sugar is melted, remove and place on wire rack to cool. [Raspberries photo by Leslie Nsdis]
