Friday, February 6, 2015

Lavender and Lemon Scones



Lavender And Lemon Scones

{makes 16, adapted from Bon Appetit}

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) salted butter
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
3/4 cup sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup half and half, plus more for brushing
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
sanding sugar
lemon curd

Place the butter in the freezer. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment.



Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lavender, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.

On the large holes of a grater, grate the frozen butter and add to the flour mixture. Stir gently, then rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until it resembles a coarse meal.



Whisk together the buttermilk, half and half, lemon zest and vanilla bean paste. Add to the flour/butter mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead about 5 times, until the dough comes together. Pat into a 10 x 6" rectangle. Halve the dough into two 5 x 6" sections. Cut each section into fourths, then cut each square diagonally. (A bench scraper is the perfect tool for this.)

Place 8 of the scones on the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with half + half and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden and done. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, place the remaining 8 scones on another baking sheet and freeze in a single layer. Once frozen, place in a freezer bag. Bake from freezer as directed above. Add a few more minutes of cooking time as necessary. If baking all at once, move oven racks to the lower and upper thirds and rotate sheets during cooking.

Once the scones are cooled, serve with a dollop (or three) of lemon curd. I used store-bought, but if you are looking to make your own, check out Sweetapolita's post on Citrus Curd. It's heavenly!

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