Blueberry and Orange Scones

Here in the states most people call scones, ‘biscuits’, which I find confusing because biscuits are cookies to me! I’ve also noticed that biscuits (scones) are usually savory here and served with chicken and meat. Scones are also double the size here, so they’re good for sharing 🙂 Sweet scones are more popular in Ireland and are available everywhere from gas stations to coffee shops. I guess scones in Ireland are the equivalent of the muffin or cupcake in America. We eat a lot of scones!

These scones are made with the small crop of blueberries we harvested from the garden this year. It certainly wasn’t a bumper crop by any means, but they were sweet and tasty all the same. Scones with fresh fruit are so good for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. I added some orange zest to these blueberry scones, to add a touch of citrusy zing.  This particular recipe is very simple to make and they are so tasty fresh out of the oven. They also smell wonderful as they’re cooking. They’re extra delicious served with lots of butter and jam.

Ingredients

• 450g of flour
• 1 and ½ teaspoons of baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 25g of sugar
• 85g of butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 175ml  of milk
• 80g of fresh blueberries
• ½ a tablespoon of orange zest
• 1 tablespoon of sugar

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 250 C / 475 F
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and sugar – mix with a spoon.
4. Add the cubes of butter and rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Mix the beaten egg and the milk in a jug.
6. Make a well in the center and add most of the milk and egg to the flour ( reserve about a tablespoon of the liquid).
7. Mix together until you get a soft dough.
8. Place the dough on a floured surface or slipmat.
9. Roll the dough out until it is about an inch thick.
10. Using a round cutter, cut the dough into scones.
11. Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.
12. Use a pastry brush, to paint the rest of the egg and milk on top of each scone.
13. Scatter the tablespoon of sugar on top of the scones.
14. Place the scones in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes, until golden brown on top.
15. Place the scones on a wire rack to cool.
16. Serve with butter and jam.