These oversized scones are crunchy on the outside, moist and tender inside.
In my previous California life, before I moved to the wilds of Missouri and became an enthusiastic but clueless farmgirl,I owned a little bakery cafe. I also bought and sold antiques (in order to fund my collecting habit), so I decorated the place in the 1920s-1950s vintage style I love.
There were 1940s floral print cloths on the little round tables, pretty mismatched old platters displaying goodies in the curved glass pastry case, thick white china mugs forserving thelocally roasted coffee, and a variety of cheerful handmade vintage aprons tied around my waist.
I served the kind of comforting, made from scratchtreats I'm always hoping to find when I walk into a bakery: giant chocolate chip cookies, chunky oatmeal walnut raisin cookies, buttery little pecan tarts, big squares of carrot cake with lots of cream cheese frosting, savory ham and sharp cheddar muffins made with a dollop of brown mustard, devil's food cake with chocolate buttercream,
spicy pumpkin muffins,
apple pie with streusel topping, hunks of old-fashioned sour cream pecan coffeecake.
I acquired a following of loyal British ex-pats who adored my 'traditional' currant scones, and I took it as a compliment when people would come in looking for "the little old grandmother we heard bakes everything in the back." Um, that would be 24-year-old me.
I had a friendly group of regular customers who sometimes surprised me with gifts, like freshly picked bouquets from their gardens, or a handcrafted origami holder for all the locals' coffee club punch cards. The owner of the nursery up the road once brought me a six-pack of cinnamon basil plants, which sadly never made it into my little backyard vegetable patch because I was never home long enough to plant them.
Such is the irony of the hardworking foodservice professional. I ate more takeout pizza during the time I ran that bakery than I have in the entire rest of my life.
One winter day a very nice lady named Lorraine, who loved chocolate chip cookies and hearts, presented me with a bag of freshly picked Meyer lemons from her tree. I had no idea what they were or how to use them, and I have no idea what I ended up doing with them (quite possibly nothing). But what I should have done was make them into scones.
The Meyer lemon is a natural lemon and mandarin orange hybrid, 'discovered' in China and brought to the U.S. by USDA agricultural explorer Frank Meyer in 1908. They're sweeter, less acidic, and have thinner skins than regular lemons. The fat, juicy fruits are a gorgeous dark yellow orange and have a wonderful floral scent. A pretty bowl of Meyer lemons sitting on the kitchen counter is an instant antidote if you're suffering from the winter blahs.
Meyer lemons are in season now, and while they're mostly grown on backyard trees, their rising popularity in recent years, thanks to people like Alice Waters and Martha Stewart, means they can now be found at farmers' markets in warm climates and places such as Whole Foods. If you can't get your hands on any Meyer lemons, these scones are still very nice when made with regular old lemons instead.
Meyer Lemon (or Regular Lemon) Scones
Makes 8 large scones
This recipe is a variation of the currant scones I used to sell at my bakery. They taste great plain, but you can fancy them up by adding currants or raisins and/or sprinkling coarse sugar on the tops. Butter, berry jam, and a proper pot of your favorite English tea are optional.
Oversized scones are perfect for hearty appetites or sharing with someone you love, but you can also make 12 smaller scones; just pat the dough into two circles instead of one and decrease the baking time. As always, I urge you to seek out
localand organic ingredients. They really do make a difference.
Fresh baking powder is essential; if yours has been open more than a couple of months, toss it out and buy a new container. I always have good results with Rumford brand, which is aluminum free.
I highly recommend investing in a couple of heavy duty commercial rimmed baking sheets. At around $15 each, they're one of the best kitchen deals around. Treat them well—I usually line mine with sheets of unbleached parchment paper, which is wonderful stuff—and they'll last for ages. I've been using the heck out of some of mine for 20 years for everything from
baking cookiesto
roasting Brussels sprouts.
3½ to 3¾ cups organic all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons (or more) finely chopped or grated Meyer lemon or regular lemon zest, rubbed with a little sugar to bring out the flavor
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 ounces) organic butter, chilled & cut into small pieces
1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice(from about 2 Meyer lemons) or regular lemon juice
1/2 cup organic milk, preferably whole
2 Tablespoons yogurt
2 large farm fresh eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional egg glaze:
1 egg and 2 Tablespoons milk, beaten well with a fork
Coarse sugar, such as turbinado, for sprinkling on top
Optional addition:
3/4 cup currants or organic raisins
Heat the oven to 400°.
In a large bowl, combine 3½ cups of the flour, the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Meyer lemon zest. Using a fork, pastry blender, or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbles with some larger pea-sized chunks. Add the currants or raisins if using and toss gently until combined.
In a small bowl or large measuring cup, combine the Meyer lemon juice, milk, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla and beat with a fork until blended.
Gently fold the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing lightly with a rubber spatula just until blended.Add up to 1/4 cup additional flour if it's too sticky to work with.
On a floured surface, gently pat the dough into a 1-inch thick circle (about 9 inches in diameter). With a sharp knife (I use a large serrated knife dipped in flour), cut the circle into 8 wedges and place them on a heavy duty baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper.
Use a pastry brush tocover the tops and sides of the scones with the egg glaze if desired,sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired, and bake until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool the sconeson a wire rack. Serve warm, or cool completely and store in an airtight container or freeze.Defrost at room temperature, or put frozen scones directly in the oven to reheat. I heat them in my convection toaster oven, wrapped in foil for the first several minutes so they don't get too brown on the outside,and then unwrapped so they crisp up nicely.
Did I mention I'm a sconehead?
(made with cream cheese instead ofbutter)
(tasty any time of year!)
Still hungry? You'll find links to all my Less Fuss, More Flavor sweet and savory recipes in the
Farmgirl Fare recipe index.
©
FarmgirlFare.com, the citrus kissed foodie farm blog whereit's alwaysa goodtime to enjoy a homemade scone—andif I'm ever lucky enough to be given a bag of Meyer lemons again, I'm going to work my way down
this mouthwatering list.
