Want to know the secret to our delicious scone recipe? It’s all about the way you handle the ingredients.
Berry beginning: Toss the frozen berries in powdered sugar to keep from bleeding into the dough.
Second step: Treating the butter in two different ways is the key to light and flaky scones. First, process half the butter until it’s fully incorporated into the dough. Then add the remaining cold butter and process until small clumps remain, creating pockets of steam as the scones bake.
A sweet end: A simple glaze of butter and honey adds a nice finish to the scones.
Mixed Berry Scones
Makes 8 scones
Note: Work the dough as little as possible, just until it comes together. Work quickly to keep the butter and berries as cold as possible for the best results. Note that the butter is divided in this recipe. An equal amount of frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries (halved) can be used in place of the mixed berries.
For the scones:
1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) frozen mixed berries
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, chilled
1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
For the glaze:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey
For the scones:
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. If your berry mix contains strawberries, cut them in half. Toss berries with powdered sugar in a bowl; freeze until needed.
2. Combine flour, 6 tablespoons butter, the granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor and process until butter is fully incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add remaining 6 tablespoons butter and pulse until butter is reduced to pea-size pieces, 10 to 12 pulses. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in berries.
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3. Beat milk and egg and yolk together in a separate bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir mixture, scraping from edges of bowl and folding inward until very shaggy dough forms and some bits of flour remain. Do not overmix.
4. Turn out dough onto a well-floured counter and, if necessary, knead briefly until dough just comes together, about 3 turns. Using your floured hands and bench scraper, shape dough into a 12-by-4-inch rectangle, about 1 1/2 inches tall. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut dough crosswise into four equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally into two triangles (you should have eight scones total). Transfer scones to the prepared sheet. Bake until scones are lightly golden on top, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
For the glaze:
1. While scones bake, combine melted butter and honey in a small bowl.
2. Remove scones from the oven and brush tops evenly with glaze mixture. Return scones to the oven and continue to bake until golden brown on top, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer scones to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Unbaked scones can be frozen for several weeks. After cutting scones into triangles in Step 4, freeze them on a baking sheet. Transfer frozen scones to a zipper-lock freezer bag. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees and extend cooking time in step 4 to 23 to 26 minutes. Glaze time in Step 6 will remain at 5 to 8 minutes.
(For 25 years, home cooks have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. The family of brands — which includes Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, and America’s Test Kitchen Kids — offers reliable recipes for cooks of all ages and skill levels. See more online at www.americastestkitchen.com/TCA.)
