Buttermilk Scones

By norsegal8

1/2 Think of scones as British biscuits. They are made in a manner similar to biscuits and, in fact, share biscuits' buttery-layered texture, but their name, their shape and the fact that they're served with tea rather than gravy lift them to the level of fancier fare.
Here are scones two ways; the traditional triangle and the rolled-tender buttermilk dough rolled around chopped fruits, nuts and/or jam. Whichever way you choose, they're luscious a la the British, with tea and whipped cream or served the American way with coffee and a gloss of jam.

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, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup (approximately) buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon grated orange or lemon zest
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, for dusting
• 4 tablespoons jam or jelly and/or 4 tablespoons diced or small plump dried fruits, such as currants, raisins, apricots or figs for filling

Preparation

Step 1

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

MIXING AND KNEADIING
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 to if some largish pieces of butter remain – they’ll add to the scones flakiness.
Pour in 1 cup of 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 it 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 dough into a ½-inch thick circle that is about 7 inches across. Brush the dough with half of the melted butter, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the 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.

TO MAKE ROLLED SCONES
Roll one piece of dough into a strip that is 12 inches long and ½-inch thick (the piece will not be very wide). Spread the strip with half of the melted butter and dust with half of the sugar. If you want to spread the roll with jam and/or dried fruits, now is the time to do so; leave a narrow border on the long edges bare. Roll the strip up from a long side like a jelly roll; pinch the seam closed and turn the roll seam side down. Cut the roll in half and cut each half into six 1-inch wide roll-ups. Place the rolled scones cut side down on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one. Repeat with the remaining dough.

BAKING THE SCONES
Bake the scones for 10 to 12 minutes, until both the tops and the 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°F oven.