Always kiss me goodnight...and buttery and tender Buttermilk Scones

We have a wooden sign hanging over the doorway as you exit our master bathroom that reads, “always kiss me goodnight” that makes me smile every time I notice it because it makes me think of the wonderful life I share with my sweet husband. It was several years ago that I purchased the sign at a holiday market and loved it - because three kisses goodnight right before bed is something Bobby and I do every night unless one of us is out of town. I also love that sign because I tend to over think life at times and "always kiss me goodnight" is a sweet and simple reminder of what is important…

Sweet and simple is what these Buttermilk Scones are as well.  I got on a scone baking kick late last year when I tried a delicious one from a small local bakery named Angela's Oven (love that the bakery name is that of my oldest sister). Up until the day I tried my first scone from this bakery, I was not a scone fan because every one I have ever tried has been hard as a rock or dry and crumbly. But not so with the Angela’s Oven scone.  It was a perfect combination of tender, flaky and buttery. The one I tried was a cranberry scone and I savored it with a cup of hot black coffee and a new determination to have scones as good as theirs come from my own oven.

The very next day I began combing through my cookbooks for a scone recipe. To my utter delight, my Williams-Sonoma Baking cookbook had a recipe for Cream Scones. The very first batch were near perfection. Many, many batches later I’ve used different mix-ins other than dried cranberries like dried mission figs and chocolate chips and I have changed the cream to buttermilk, which I think makes them even more tender. I have even branched out to a savory scone with cheddar cheese, scallions and bacon – don’t get me started on those…they were a fine accompaniment to homemade shrimp and grits that I also topped with chopped pieces of house made kielbasa from a local store called Revival Market...whoa, hold on a minute, back to the Buttermilk Scones…

So please trust me when I say these are wonderful scones. And they are very easy to make, just read the tips I’ve provided and look at the pictures as well so you have an idea about how the dough should look. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below. The main tip is to work quickly. But enjoy them slowly….

Recipe after the jump...

Buttermilk Scones

Adapted from Cream Scones in the Williams Sonoma Baking Cookbook

Makes 6 large or 8 medium scones

A few helpful hints on getting everything prepped before you jump in…
1. Although it may seem at first glance at all these instructions that these are difficult to make, they are not. I've just tried to include helpful hints so your first batch come out great. Once you've done one batch, you'll see how easy they really are to make!

2. Turn on your oven first because it takes a little while to get to 425 degrees and you’ll want the oven ready for when you have the scones set to go in – you don’t want to wait on the oven…

3. Put your butter in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before you cut it into small cubes to be added to the flour. You want your butter to be very cold – as the butter melts while the scones are baking, the water in the butter creates steam that helps them to rise.

4. Have all of your ingredients measured and ready to go so that you can quickly move from one step to the next – this will keep your dough as cold as possible which creates scones that rise beautifully!

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 10 ounces weighed)

¼ cup granulated sugar  (or 2 ounces weighed)

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (I don’t always add this)

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch

½ cup dried cranberries or currants 
    (use whatever you want here: chocolate chips, dried figs...)

¾ cup full fat or low fat buttermilk 
 

For the topping:

1 tablespoon granulated, demerara or turbinado sugar (I like turbinado the best)

2 tablespoons buttermilk (pastry brush for brushing on

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.  Line a half-sheet pan or rimless baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest (if using) and beat on low speed for a few seconds to mix. Add the butter a couple of pieces at a time and mix on medium-low speed just until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of small peas. Scatter the dried cranberries (or whatever your addition is) over the flour mixture. Pour the buttermilk into the bowl and mix for several seconds, just until moistened and dough barely comes together.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press together gently until it clings together in a ball.  Pat out into a round about ½ inch thick (it’s actually better if they’re closer to ¾ inch or 1 inch) and 6 ½ inches in diameter.   Cut the round into 8 wedges, or use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out rounds. Alternatively, I shape the dough into a rectangle and cut the scones into 8 squares. Place the scones at least 1 inch apart on the prepared pan as they do spread a little and rise quite a bit. 

Using a pastry brush, coat the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.

Bake until golden brown, 13-17 minutes (depending on your oven – scones in my oven bake in 14 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Reheat in a toaster oven and they’re almost as good as right out of the oven!

Dry ingredients mixed briefly to combine

All ingredients: what a "rough mix" looks like, turn dough out, gently pat together and shape

Shaped dough

Dough cut into scones, brushed with buttermilk and topped with turbinado sugar

Ready to go in a 425 degree oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Finished and cooling...yes, I ate one right away...