Sunday, April 7, 2013

Lemon Scones, Revisited

As a lovely weekend draws to a close, I'm taking a few minutes to share a slightly-revised recipe for lemon-filled scones. This batch was the prize for Sarah, the winner of a recent monthly comment contest on this blog (details to the right!). The basics are all the same as the scones I've previously posted (a great foundational recipe for every scone I make) but I did make a few adjustments. To make these scones even more lemony, I grated lemon peel for both the dough and also the glaze. To make them a little less decadent, I reduced the butter by one third (not even noticeable). To sour the milk to make my own buttermilk, I switched acids from vinegar to fresh lemon juice, to be consistent with the flavor theme.

The tried and true steps of my scone making remain consistent and simple. Butter is cut into a mixture of flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, but this time I added about a tablespoon of freshly grated lemon peel.To that is added the soured milk mixed with beaten eggs as well as some vanilla and lemon extract. It's tossed together lightly with a fork to create what I think of as a "shaggy mess" and then the dough spends a few minutes in the freezer to make sure the butter pieces stay whole and cold when the dough is shaped into scones.

This is a wonderful and very adaptable recipe, and can be customized for whatever flavors and additions inspire you. If you want to make a savory dinner scone, just leave out the sugar and add cheese, or crumbled bacon, or fresh herbs -- whatever you think of that will make it your own.

Here's the recipe, followed by step-by-step photos illustrating the process. It may seem long and complicated, but it is neither. Once you try this scone recipe, you'll make it again and again!  I was able to make it with these little wise-guys hanging around...

My grandsons Henry and Peter, happy little dudes!


LEMON-FILLED SCONES
Preheated 375-degree F oven

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel
1/2 cup buttermilk or a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice with enough milk added to equal 1/2 cup
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Lemon curd - about 2 generous tablespoons (I like Dickinson's)

Additional beaten egg for egg wash

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
enough water to make a thick but drizzle-able glaze (it might be a word!), a few drops at a time

Directions in pictures:

Grate some lemon peel, a generous tablespoon plus a little more...

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add butter and lemon rind.

Found this at an annual antique sale in Warren County!
It's one of my favorite things (for another blog post!)

Cut butter into flour mixture until butter particles are pea-sized.

Like this...

Mix buttermilk or soured milk with two beaten eggs and extracts.

Mix buttermilk mixture into flour mixture, tossing lightly with a fork until it's a "shaggy mess" like this...
Put in freezer for 10 minutes.  Take out and form into a loaf on a lightly floured surface.

Flatten the loaf and knead, gently folding it over itself and pressing into new "loaf" about 8-10 times.
Add more flour as necessary to keep from sticking to your surface.
Divide into 2 portions and flatten each into an 8-inch disk.

Like this...

Drop a generous tablespoon of lemon curd on top of each disk.

Spread to within 1/2-inch of the edges.

Roll up jelly roll style, and...

Tuck ends under and flatten into new disks.

Cut disks into 6 wedges each.

Place triangles on parchment-paper lined cookie sheet and brush with egg wash
(if you don't have a pastry brush, mop the egg wash on with a wadded up paper towel). 

Bake at 375 degrees Farenheit for 20 minutes or until the scones look like this,
with a gentle browning to the tops.

Mix glaze ingredients adding enough water, just a few drops at a time, until it flows off the fork like this...
Drizzle over hot scones.  Glaze will dry as scones cool.

Your scones are done!
 Well, that's it! Try this recipe, and follow the photos to get it just right!

Thank you for reading. I look forward to your comments (perhaps prize-winning comments!).

Have a great week!

29 comments:

  1. They are delicious! I can assure you that they will not last long here :) Thanks for the step by step recipe. I am certain that I will be making these some time soon! Thanks Aunt Jeannie!!

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    1. Sarah, my pleasure! They freeze beautifully, so you don't HAVE to eat them all now! :) So glad you're happy! Congrats again on winning the prize!

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  2. Jeannie like I said before you should do a home party to sell your products! These make me drool. thanks for the detailed recipe . Looks like a much better way to make them than I do! thanks
    sharron Eddy Cataldo

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    1. Appreciate the vote of confidence, Sharron. I really would rather bake for friends and family than sell my goods, especially since I have to stay healthy and that includes not working TOO hard outside of my full-time job... Once in a while I'll consider baking for a customer, but pretty much, the joy comes from sharing with the people I love.

      Thank you!

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  3. I really enjoy your blog and Facebook posts! I appreciate the photos you include as well. Thanks so much for putting this out there!

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    1. Thank YOU so much for your comment, and for enjoying the blog! I'm very happy to share my baking (etc.) with you!

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  4. Jeannie...your photos make me hungry ....great job of illustrating step by step. It makes it so much easier for the not so handy in the kitchen person. Your "shaggy mess" looks pretty neat to me !! CKJ

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    1. Cindy, now you get to choose what your first prize will be! Looking forward to making something special for your first monthly installment!

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    2. Jeanne when you have the time......We would like some of your famous cinnamon buns ! John just loves them ,well anything with cinnamon is his favorite........

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  5. Since I'm a huge lemon fan...and a huge scone fan...I LOVE these scones! Wish I had one with my coffee right now! Have a great week, Jeannie!!!

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    1. Carol, I love lemon too, and it's a good thing these had to be delivered or I'd have been in trouble! Hope you have a great week as well!

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  6. OK...I am wishing for one of these scones, a nice big cafe latte, a great book and some time in my rocking chair on the front porch......

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    1. I can make that happen, but I need a little time! :)

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  7. I love lemon, and these look delicious! As the others said, I also appreciate all of the great pictures - they really help! I made a Cooking Light lemon pound cake for my family for Easter, which turned out well, so I have lemon on my mind; good timing - thanks!

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    1. Hi Melissa! I trust Cooking Light recipes - I've always had great results! That pound cake sounds delicious! Lemon is such a wonderful flavor - I love lemon everything!

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  8. Jeannie - I LOVE your bog and this recipe for lemon-filled scones looks amazing! I can't wait to try it. I will be sending you my recipe for authentic Maine Blueberry Cake as soon as I find it! It's easy and yummy! I spent the better part of yesterday attempting to create a blog for my toy store, Poofberry's, using Wordpress - I am more than frustrated! I may need to switch to something more user friendly.

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    1. Thanks Diane! I will make your blueberry cake and post the recipe - really looking forward to that. I checked out your blog and I think it's great. I have only used this blog host so far (Blogger) and it has worked well for me. I would like to add some functionality that I don't currently have, but that's probably pricey! Right now, I do all this for no charge, and that is hard to beat! Thanks so much for your comment!

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  9. Great recipe and delicious as mini scones!

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  10. This is my comment this month- I REALLY want lemon or blueberry scones but I dont bake and ur the best baker ever! Dont forget me cuz I live far away!

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    1. Scones mail very well, Chris, so if you win, they're on their way!

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  11. These scones are also very good made with Nutella instead of lemon filling.

    They mail quite well individually wrapped in parchment paper then Saran Wrap.

    Also made them Gluten Free - using Pamela's baking mix instead of flour and they were tasty but rather misshapen.

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    1. Thanks for these suggestions, Elitza! I love parchment paper - it's so versatile, and I can see how it would be better for mailing since it would let the scones "breathe." Love what you're doing with my recipes!

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  12. Can't wait to try these! I'm going to make these for my play group on Thursday, though I don't know if I want to share.
    ~ Emily Rapp Eddy

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    1. Hi Em! That's when I make a double batch! One to give away, and the other, well....

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  13. Bobby and I shared the ones you made me with my xmas cookie order! They are wonderfully delish! Lynn E.

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  14. Love scones and anything with lemon is a bonus! Can't wait to try these!

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  15. I'm fairly new to your blog (thanks to Nancy Stevens) but I've been salivating over the pictures, especially the scones, for weeks!

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