recipes: blueberry scones

While they're called biscuits in the south, the Anglophile in me insists on calling them scones. Eating scones propels me back to my study abroad days in Oxford, where the sun would set at 4 p.m., leaving me and my Georgia-based housemates confused and suddenly melancholy. My favorite snobby intellectual, Tom, and I would meet after our tutorials in various cafes for tea time just as the sun would set on that picturesque, Gothic city partly because it was too early for dinner and an odd time to start drinking. So when I found this recipe from my favorite cookbook, Breakfast Lunch Tea (from Rose Bakery), I knew it was a great way to use up the almost fuzzy blueberries in my fridge.




Ingredients (Makes 12-15 scones)

• 3 1/3 cups plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 handful wheatgerm or wholewheat flour (optional)
• 2 very heaped tablespoons of baking powder
• 2 heaped tablespoons of brown sugar (I usually add 3-4 because I like my scones sweet)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 2 handfuls of blueberries (adjust according to your preference)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups soy milk
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 2 inch round cutter

Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a baking tray with butter. Sift the plain flour into a bowl and add the wheatgerm or wholewheat flour, if using.




Mix in the baking powder, brown sugar, and salt, then add the butter and rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles fresh breadcrumbs.



Mix in the lemon or orange zest. Add the blueberries and mix well.



Beat one of the eggs in a measuring jug, then add enough milk to reach 1 1/4 cup level. Make a well into the middle, pour in the liquid and use a fork to work it into the dry ingredients. Finish by hand but without overworking the mixture - just lightly bring everything together to form a softish but firm dough. If it is too dry, add a little more milk. If it is too wet, add some more flour. It must not be sticky at all. On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll the dough into a solid shape about 1 1/4 inches thick.

Using a 2 inch cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place them on the greased baking tray so that they almost touch. Beat the remaining egg and use it to glaze the tops of the scones. Sprinkle with light brown sugar and bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden. The scones will stick together, so take them gently apart when they have cooled a little.