Buttermilk Scones

After making my Pear Honey the other day, I wanted to find the perfect baked good to taste it on. I love scones, but have never found a recipe with just the right texture and flavor... until now. I wanted a more or less plain scone because I wanted to enjoy the flavor of the jam. I simply googled scone recipes, and I found this recipe on Joy of Baking. The flavor was amazing, and the texture lighter and fluffier than some of the denser scone recipes I've tried. However, they were not so light and fluffy that I forgot I was eating a scone. I only made one change to the recipe, and I only made it out of necessity because I happened to be completely out of granulated sugar, so I substituted light brown sugar. I don't think that I'll mess around with granulated sugar the next time I make these because I can't be certain the flavor will be the same. One thing I will change the next time is the final step in the recipe where you dust the scones with powdered sugar and put them under the broiler. It was really hard to get the sugar to cook evenly, and in the end I still over browned it in some spots and it didn't melt at all in others. I didn't think that it did much for the flavor one way or the other, and it was a big hassle, so I won't do that step again.

Buttermilk Scones

• 2 C all purpose flour
• 1/4 C light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 2/3 C buttermilk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbs milk
• powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F and place rack in middle of oven. Stack two baking sheets together and grease and flour the top pan. (This prevents the bottoms of the scones from over browning during baking.)

In a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Whisk together.

Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture.

Blend with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.

Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture.

Stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times.

Pat, or roll, the dough into a ball.

Roll it into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Cut this circle in half.

Then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles).

Place the scones on the baking sheet.

Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk.

Brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and then turn your broiler on high. Sift confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the broiler.

Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary, until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown. Make sure to watch the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.