I must say, it has been a minute. A very long minute since I have been around these parts. Here I am, and I brought blueberries!
It has been a kind of crazy year so far. Actually, things have been getting mixed up since last year. There have been many changes in my life, with many more still to come. In the last few months, I had a job, left that job, and started a new one. Things happened so fast, but everything happened “in order.”
I’m very much one of those people who believes things happen a certain way for a reason, and they definitely do. Like, there was a reason why I ended up being unemployed for over a year right after graduation. That led me here and into the kitchen again. Or how during that time, I took risks (that seemed way bigger to me then than they actually were) that helped me get to where I am today. I met a lot of people, and experienced a lot of things that brought me here, and I really think that things were supposed to happen this way.
As a planner and a baker, I like having my things in order and planned as much as possible. However, the majority of the time, nothing happens like I planned. It’s why I like to bake because there’s a set of rules (the recipe) that tells me that a certain amount of ingredients mixed a certain way, and cooked to a certain degree, will always give me the same delicious result. Granted, not all recipes turn out the same, but that’s part of the fun, right?
It’s a learning experience, which is what I’ve been doing all this time and will continue to do for the rest of my life.
With that said, let’s talk blueberries.
The only thing I like about the warm weather is the abundance of fruit. Well, that and anything on ice but that’s beyond the point. I am a sucker for most berries, blue ones included. While I like to eat blueberries, I really love to bake with them. Blueberries are like the entry level baking fruit. You can make a blueberry anything, and it’ll come out amazing. Not only that, but everyone likes blueberries, so it’s a win-win all around.
With my love of blueberries, baking, and scones, I thought it was time to put them all together.
Scones are my favorite. They’re creamy, crumbly, and delicious. The two star ingredients in scones are the cream and butter (that’s almost like meta; the before and after of butter). You cannot make scones without these two in your lineup. Well, you can but they won’t be scones (at least to me). Your star ingredients must be cold in order to get that tender, flaky, and crumbly scone. I like making sure everything stays cold when I make scones, so my favorite trick is to throw them in the freezer while the oven preheats. This is so that the scones keep their composure in the oven, and so the butter doesn’t start melting before it should.
These scones were perfect for those sweet, plump blueberries. As they baked within the scone, some exploded, revealing their delicious blueberry juices. Some are tart, which go well with the light sweetness of the scone. The tender dough just melts in your mouth, leaving room for your tastebuds to savor the blueberries. The best part is that these delicious scones don’t even have to be blueberry. You can sub any fruit in here, and make something amazing. That’s the fun part đŸ™‚
I hope to share what I’ve been learning more openly, with something delicious of course. If you can’t find me, I’m out learning!
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 heaping cup of blueberries, rinsed and dried
- 1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream
- Turbinado/raw sugar (optional)
- Place flour, baking powder, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender/cutter, or fork, mix together.
- Throw in the butter cubes, and cut into the dry ingredients using the pastry blender or fork. Continue cutting in butter until it is in pea sized chunks.
- Toss in the blueberries, gently coating them in the flour mix. Add the cream, and mix together with a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are absorbed.
- Knead gently into a soft, sticky ball for about 10 seconds (so everything comes together).
- Press the dough ball into either a round or square cake pan lined with parchment. Alternatively, you can transfer the ball onto a floured work surface, and gently flatten into a circle about 3/4 inch thick.
- Once pressed in the pan, using a very sharp knife, bench cutter, or biscuit cutters, cut out the scones. If using round cutters, gently knead together remaining dough into rounds until all the dough is used up.
- Place scones on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle scones with turbinado/raw sugar, if using. Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the baking sheets/scones in the freezer until oven is preheated.
- Bake the scones for 12-15 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes.
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
