Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Yogurt and Blueberry Scones

I don't know if I have revealed this on my blog yet, but my all-time favorite fruit is the blueberry. I could eat them all day every day and never get sick of those delicious little morsels.

Perhaps it is odd, then, that I'm not a huge fan of baked goods with blueberries in them. Yes, given the choice between a muffin containing blueberries or any other fruit, I will likely choose the blueberry option, but I still much prefer the fruit so fresh and so clean. I will admit that blueberry baked goods LOOK amazing, though.

That's probably why I was so interested in trying these yogurt and blueberry scones from the King Arthur Flour blog. I had to make a couple tweaks, because I'm out of almond extract and  only had plain yogurt, but other than that, I followed the recipe pretty closely. The scones came out looking delicious, but I wish they had more of a crumbly texture.

Here's yet another reason we should have taste-o-vision!


Blueberry scones from the King Arthur Flour blog:

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold butter, cut into pieces
1 cup (about 5 ounces, about half a pint) fresh blueberries
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup (2 ounces) vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (or 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top

*Substitute 1 cup King Arthur Organic White Whole Wheat Flour for 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, if desired.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment.

Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients till the mixture is unevenly crumbly; use your fingers, a pastry blender, or an electric mixer. Gently mix the blueberries with the dry ingredients.

Stir together the eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon zest or oil, and almond extract. Add to the dry ingredients and stir very gently, just until combined. The dough will be quite moist, like cookie dough.

Use a muffin scoop, jumbo cookie scoop, or 1/4-cup measure to scoop the dough onto the prepared sheet in scant 1/4-cupfuls, leaving about 2" between each. Brush each ball of dough with a bit of milk or cream, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake the scones for 20 to 24 minutes, or until lightly browned and a cake tester inserted into a scone comes out dry. Remove from the oven, and serve warm. To reheat, wrap loosely in aluminum foil, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Yield: 12 scones.