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Scones Topped With Preserves Recipe
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Scones
and jam go so well together that it was only a matter of time before we started
to add the jam to the scones before, not after, they are baked. There are two
ways to do this and I have recipes on the site for both; one is to sandwich the
jam in the middle of each scone (Scones
filled with Jam) and the other is to place a dollop of jam right on the top
of each scone (done here). There is no rule as to what flavor of jam or preserve
you must use, only that it be of good quality. If you are confused about the
difference between jam and preserves, don't be. They are both a cooked
combination of fruit and sugar (and sometimes pectin) and the only difference is
that preserves still contain chunks of fruit, whereas jam is more like a fruit
puree. For the scones, we are going to make
them with buttermilk, instead of milk, which gives us a tender bread-like
not cake-like scone. Buttermilk has a nice thick creamy texture with a
rich tangy buttery taste and in the past it was the liquid left over after
churning butter. Today it is commercially made by adding a bacteria to
whole, skim, or low fat milk. If you do not want to buy it you can use
buttermilk powder or else make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of white
distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk and then
let it stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.These scones are baked at a higher than normal oven
temperature to give them a dark, crisp crust. If you find that the bottoms
of the scones get too brown you can use two baking
sheets (place one pan inside another) to stop this from happening.. Immediately after baking the scones are dusted
with powdered sugar and placed under the broiler to give them more color and a
nice crisp crust.
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Preheat oven to 400
degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle of oven. Stack two
baking sheets together and line the top baking sheet with parchment paper. (This prevents the bottoms of the scones from over browning during baking.)
In a large
bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the butter
into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two
knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. In a small
measuring cup combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add the
buttermilk
mixture to the
flour mixture (adding more buttermilk if necessary) and 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 and then pat the dough into a circle
that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this
circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles).
Place the scones on the baking sheet. In the middle of each scone make an
small indentation, about 3/4 inch (2 cm) in diameter (with your finger or the end of a floured wooden spoon) for the preserves. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg
mixed with 1
tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture. Fill each indentation with
about 1/2 teaspoon jam or preserves.
Bake
for about 18 - 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.
Makes 8
scones.
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Recipe:
2 cups (280 grams) all purpose
flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white
sugar
1 teaspoon
baking powder
1/4 teaspoon
baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted
butter, cold and cut into pieces
2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Jam or Preserves
Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon
milk or cream
Note:
Brushing the tops of the scones with the egg/cream mixture helps brown
the tops of the scones.
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