Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

My friend Kelly Rowe has taught me many of her baking techniques and this is one of my favorites.  Baking scones always reminds me of mornings in Flagstaff when I would teach French to her daughter Clio.  Each week, Kelly would make some delightful pastry to snack on while Clio and I parlé français.  Thank you, Kelly, for your wisdom, sanity and friendship. This morning, I traded some of them for a basket of fresh produce which I’ll use for meals later this week.  Paired with a cup of coffee and the orange blossoms in the back yard, these scones make my weekend mornings sublime. 

As you all know, I’m rather a nerd when it comes to food.  If you’re like me, you’ll be fascinated to learn that most of the world pronounces these pastries as “skon.”  Here in the U.S., they’re primarily known as “skoan.” Thank you to Kateryna and her exceedingly witted comrade, Priestly, for their tip du jour.

These scones are light and airy and packed with fresh flavor.  The lemon glaze on top adds just the right amount of sweet zeal. 

2 C. flour

2 t. baking powder

½ t. salt

Scant 1/2 C. sugar (less sugar for more traditional scones)

1 t. lemon zest

1/2 stick of frozen butter, diced

1/2 pint blueberries

2 eggs

½ C. whole milk, plus extra for glazing

Lemon glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350.  In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, zest and salt.  When combined, add butter and mix with a pastry tool until butter is the size of small peas.  Add one egg at a time and cut into the pastry with a knife and a fork until well combined.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour in about 1/2 C. milk and fold gently until the mixture is slightly wet and sticky.  Add a bit more if it feels too dry.

On a floured surface, roll out dough until it is about 1" thick.  Cut into your desired shapes with a cookie cutter and place on a greased sheet pan.  Brush with more whole milk so that when it bakes it will have a beautiful golden glaze.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the scones are lightly golden.  Serve warm with butter, or cooled with lemon glaze.

Lemon Glaze

1 C. powdered sugar

2-3 T. lemon juice

In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice, adding more juice as necessary until glaze is thin and glossy.  Drizzle over the cooled scones.