Buttermilk Scones

By OralW

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter -- cunt into small pieces
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon grated orange or lemon zest
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter -- melted, for brushing
• 1/4 cup sugar -- for dusting

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Position the oven racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the
oven to 425 degrees.

MIXING AND KNEADING: In a medium bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking
powder, baking soda, and salt together with a fork. Add the cold butter
pieces and using your fingertips (the first choice), a pastry blender, or
two knives, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture
resembles coarse cornmeal. It's OK if some largish pieces of butter remain
- they'll add to the scones' flakiness. Pour in 1 cup buttermilk, toss in
the zest, and mix with the fork only until the ingredients are just
moistened - you'll have a soft dough with a rough look. (If the dough
looks dry, add another tablespoon of buttermilk.) Gather the dough into a
ball, pressing it gently so that it holds together, turn out onto a
lightly floured work surface, and knead it very briefly - a dozen turns
should do it. Cut the dough in half.

TO MAKE TRIANGULAR SHAPED SCONES: Roll one piece of the dough into a 1/2
inch thick circle that is about 7 inches across. Brush the dough with half
of the melted butter, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and cut
the circle into 6 triangles. Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet
and set aside while you roll out the rest of the dough.

BAKING THE SCONES: Bake the scones for 10 to 12 minutes, until both the
tops and bottoms are golden. Transfer the scones to a rack to cool
slightly. These are best served warm but are just fine at room
temperature.

STORING: If you're not going to eat the scones the day they are made, wrap
them airtight and freeze; they'll stay fresh for a month. To serve,
defrost the scones at room temperature in their wrappers, then unwrap and
reheat on a baking sheet for 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven.