Source:

Susan

Serves/Makes:6 or more

Ingredients

• 2 cups (475 ml) flour
• 2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) baking soda
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar
• 6 tbsp (90 ml) butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) plus 1/8 cup (30 ml) buttermilk
• 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) dried cherries, chopped
• Topping:
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) buttermilk or more
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) coarse sugar (optional)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees (200 C.).
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar and whisk to combine.
• Cut butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles very coarse meal.
• Stir in buttermilk and vanilla, adding the dried cherries as the dough starts to come together. The dough should be sticky but not runny. Do Not Overwork the dough.
• Sprinkle a little flour on a cutting board or counter top and turn dough onto surface.
• Form dough into a disc 1 inch thick and place on baking sheet.
• Cut the dough disk into 6-8 wedges using a knife or a pizza cutter.
• You may separate the scones or bake them together and break them apart after they're baked (I like to separate them).
• Brush with 1 tbsp (15 ml) buttermilk and sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar (sugar is optional).
• Bake at 400 degrees (200 C.) for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Comments

This recipe is an adaptation of the recipe by Nicole Weston found at http://bakingsheet.blogspot.com

The scones came out light and tender. The buttermilk created a nice gloss on top and contains less fat than scone recipes calling for heavy cream. The coarse sugar on top would have created a more brown carmelized top. The original recipe also called for 4 times as much sugar in the dough. However, I prefer my breakfast pastries a little less sweet as you can always add sweetness with jam, honey or lemon curd.