^{This fruit scone recipe is flexible enough to add your own spin and favorite flavors. Below, I’ve given you my recipe for rhubarb scones. You can use other fruits as well such as diced apples with cinnamon, diced pear and cardamom, plums and nutmeg, half fresh fruit and half dried fruit, etc. etc. Have fun!}

Makes 10 to 12 large scones

Here are some tips:

• Dry fruit (apples, rhubarb) need to be tossed with sugar and rest for 15 minutes to get their juices going

• Dry fruit, use up to 1 ¼ cup buttermilk

• Super juicy fruit, use 1 cup of buttermilk

• Add 1/2 cup grated or crumbled cheese to apple, pear, or dried fruit scones

• Add a small spring (1/2 tsp or so) minced rosemary to fall fruits

• Dice dried fruits and soak in boiling water to soften. Drain, pat dry, and dice

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, see options below

• ½ cup almond or other nut flour or leave out and do 3 1/2 cups flour instead

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 2 tsp. cream of tartar 

• ¼ tsp cardamom, optional 

• ½ to ¾ cup of sugar

• 1 stick unsalted butter cut in half

• 2 large eggs 

• 1 to 1 ¼ cups buttermilk depending on the juiciness of the fruit

• 1 ½ to 2 cups diced fruit, see notes above **(I use 1 ½ cups thin to medium sliced rhubarb)

• ½ to 1 tsp finely grated orange zest

• ¼ cup sliced almonds

• 2 to 4 Tbls diced candied ginger

2 Tbls. course sugar

A sheet pan or cookie pan lined with parchment paper

Make the scones:

1. Preheat oven to 425˚f.

2. Measure you sugar. Use 1/2 cup for sweet fruits like strawberries or dried fruit. Use 3/4 cup for rhubarb.

3. If you’re using rhubarb, mix 2 tablespoons of the measured sugar with the grated orange rind and sliced rhubarb and set aside.

4. Melt half of the butter and cool to room temp.

5. Sift all of the dry ingredients. Remove approximately 1 cup of the flour mixture and set aside.

6. Cut the second half of the butter into the flour in the bowl to resemble very coarse cornmeal and small peas like you would for pie dough.

7. Beat the egg plus one egg yolk and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Reserve the extra egg white.

8. Add the buttermilk/egg mixture to the flour mixture in the bowl. Stir just enough to barely blend together.

9. Pour in the cooled, melted butter and give one or two quick stirs. That’s it.

10. Add the remaining flour and mix just until blended. Stir in the fruit and ginger.

11. Dust your table with flour and turn the dough onto the table. Barely needing, bring together the dough into a ball.

12. Roll or pat into shape. This can be a large round, 2 smaller rounds, or a flattened log that is about 3-inches wide and the length of a sheet pan or cookie sheet. The dough should be about 1 1/2 inches thick. You can also pat the dough into shape directly on your parchment-lined pan.

13. Place on pan and chill for 30 minutes or so. Cut into desired shape and place ½ inch apart.

14. Brush lightly with the remaining egg white. Sprinkle almonds and coarse sugar to decorate the top.

15. Bake 15 to 25 minutes depending on fruits, flours, etc. Keep an eye on them and touch the top. They should not cave in the center. It never hurts to sacrifice one for the good of the others!

Flours:

Experiment with different flours. I like one third each spelt, whole wheat, and unbleached white flour. Using all whole-grain flours will produce a heavier, rustic scone that’s equally delicious. You can also substitute up to one-third of the flour (1 cup) with gluten-free flours like buckwheat or rye. 

Important Flour Note. Is your dough to wet?:

If you are using only all purpose white flour, or other lighter flours, you may need to add up to an additional 1/4 cup of flour to the dough so that it holds it’s shape when baked. Once you’ve added all of the ingredients, if the dough feels wet and very sticky (a little os ok) add the extra flour by sprinkling half of it over the dough. Knead just until it disappears. If it’s still very sticky, add more.