THE PERFECT SCONE
(inspired by Jamie Oliver)

I have been enjoying making scones for over 40 years. Growing up, watching my Mom make her perfect Irish Scones inspired me to be curious and play around with recipes. This particular recipe resulted in a fluffy and thick scone which was easy to slice. A scone is a traditional British and Irish staple, although it did originate in Scotland. I have enjoyed creating scones that are sweet and some that are savory. This recipe is not too sweet and was a fantastic complement to a brunch. I served them with a gluten-free frittata, salad from the garden, and homemade chicken sausage patties. It was a huge hit, especially for our visiting guests, Chloe, 18 months old, and Charlie, 3 years old, on Sunday. Enjoy with some beautiful blueberry jam. My favorite is from our local farmers’ market.

Ingredients (approximately 10 scones)
2/3 cups currants (they are truly the best for this recipe)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice for soaking the currants
2/3 cups cold unsalted butter (cut into 1/2 cubes)
4 cups of self-rising flour (a little extra for dusting)
2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
2 medium eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons of heavy cream for brushing the tops of the scones
Sea Salt to sprinkle on top prior to baking

The most important process to keep in mind is scones do not need a lot of work!  Relax and enjoy the process and beautiful results.

Put the dried fruit in a measuring cup or bowl and soak with the orange juice. Best to do this a few hours before if you can.
Also, keep cubed butter on a plate in the fridge until ready to use.
Whisk eggs and butter milk.
Sift the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
Mix in the sugar and sea salt.
Slowly use your fingers and thumbs to break up the butter until you achieve cornflake-sized pieces.
Drain the currants and mix them in with the flour.
Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add buttermilk mixture and stir with a spatula until blended.
At this point I like to gently form a ball with my hand being mindful not to over mix.
Sprinkle over some flour on top, cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and place in fridge for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1” thick. I used a juice cup to shape the dough into circles.
I prefer using a cast iron skillet for scones.
Place scones on a skillet (or baking sheet) floured side down.
Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle a little coarse sea salt on top.
Bake in oven approximately 20 minutes. Time may vary based on your oven and the baking sheet you use.
Again, I love a cast iron for this.
Once they have risen and are golden remove them from oven and place on a rack to cool down.
Note:
If you don’t want to bake the whole batch, you can freeze the remaining scones in one layer in a pyrex dish and when ready to bake, brush cream on top, sprinkle a little salt and just pop in the oven @ 350F on a cast iron pan for approximately 25 minutes.

Bon Appétit
☘