Blueberry Scones

My dad and I went to a local blueberry farm in Western Massachusetts. The farm had huge fields of blueberry trees and vast amounts of ripe blueberries waiting to be picked. They were really cheap at only $3.25 a pound. Needless to say, we went a little overboard picking and brought home five pounds of blueberries!

What to do with all of these blueberries!? We cannot eat five pounds of blueberries, so I started thinking about what to make with them. Blueberry pie was the first thing that came to mind, since that would take care of at least 6 cups of blueberries. But I decided I was in the mood for a breakfast/mid-afternoon treat. I've made muffins a lot, so it was time for scones!

These are coffeehouse-style scones- sweet and moist with a flaky crumb. This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. It's a little fastidious and requires freezing and grating a stick of butter, plus rolling out the dough and folding it a few times. I was able to streamline the butter grating by using my food processor's grater attachment. Keep the dough really cold and it will be easier to work.
After all the work it took to prep the scones, I baked them for 18 minutes according to the instructions.  Either my dad's oven is too hot or I let the dough get too warm (the scones were a little melty on the bottom before I stuck them in the oven). The scones got a little burned at the bottom while the inside was not cooked enough.  I will have to make this recipe again to get it right. Still they turned out pretty tasty!

INGREDIENTS

• 16tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), frozen whole (see note above)
• 1 1/2cups fresh blueberries (about 7 1/2 ounces), picked over (see note)
• 1/2cup whole milk
• 1/2cup sour cream
• 2cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for work surface
• 1/2cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
• 2teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 1teaspoon grated lemon zest

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of wrapper from each stick of frozen butter. Following photo at left, grate unwrapped ends on large holes of box grater (you should grate total of 8 tablespoons). Place grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 tablespoons of remaining ungrated butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 tablespoons butter for another use. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.
2. 2. Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.
3. 3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to liberally floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.
4. 4. Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Following illustrations, fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.
5. 5. Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll into approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough. Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. 6. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.