Blackberry and lemon scones
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Serves:
8
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Yield:
8 Scones
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Ready in:
40 mins
(15 mins
Prep
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25 mins
Cook)
Make these scones in the autumn when firm, sweet blackberries are in season. The addition of buttermilk to the mixture ensures the result is light and flaky. Serve fresh from the oven for a deliciously different tea-time scone.
Ingredients
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115 g (4 oz) self-raising white flour, plus extra to sprinkle
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115 g (4 oz) self-raising wholemeal flour
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1 tsp baking powder
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55 g (2 oz) caster sugar
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55 g (2 oz) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
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finely grated zest of 1 lemon
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85 g (3 oz) small, firm, fresh blackberries
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120 ml (4 fl oz) buttermilk, or more as needed
Preparation method
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF, gas mark 6). Sift the white and wholemeal flours and the baking powder into a large bowl, tipping in any bran left in the sieve. Stir in the sugar. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the lemon zest, then very gently stir in the blackberries. Do not overmix, as the blackberries can easily become crushed.
- Lightly stir in the buttermilk using a round-bladed knife, again being careful not to crush the blackberries. If there are any dry bits of dough in the bottom of the bowl, add a little more buttermilk. As soon as the mixture comes together in a soft dough, lift it from the bowl onto a floured surface and knead gently 2 or 3 times only, just to form a rough ball.
- Pat out the dough carefully with your hands to make an 18 cm (7 in) round. Transfer it to a greased baking sheet. Cut into 8 tringular wedges with the back of a knife and sprinkle with a little extra white flour. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until pale golden and risen. Serve warm, broken into the marked wedges. These scones are best eaten freshly baked, or on the day they are made, but will still be good the next day; store them in an airtight tin.
Copyright
Copyright by The Readers Digest Association, Inc. 2004
Each scone provides
B1, B6, selenium
Some more ideas
For blueberry scones, substitute fresh blueberries for the blackberries. * To make cinnamon raisin scones, substitute 55 g (2 oz) raisins for the blackberries and ½ tsp ground cinnamon for the lemon zest. Increase the quantity of buttermilk to 150 ml (5 fl oz). Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2.5 cm (1 in) and stamp out rounds using a 5–6 cm (2–2½ in) plain cutter. Put them on a greased baking sheet and brush with 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk mixed with 2 tsp caster sugar to glaze. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until risen and golden.
Plus points
Blackberries are high in fibre and vitamin C, and are one of the richest fruit sources of vitamin E. * Traditionally buttermilk is the liquid left over after cream has been turned into butter by churning. However, these days it is usually made by adding a bacterial culture to skimmed milk. Buttermilk is extremely low in fat (0.2–0.5 g fat per 100 ml/3½ fl oz).