I haven’t been much of a scone baker to be honest, but after you find a successful go-to recipe, they aren’t that scary to make – in fact, deliciously glorious and deliciously easy.
This scone mix is very moist so you have to trust yourself that this is in fact what the recipe calls for and you aren’t setting yourself up for a kitchen disaster. I believe the secret is in the buttermilk and the no-fuss approach to making them. There is really no need to shape them. Too much handling means more often than not, overworking the mix. Overworked dough leads potentially a rock hard result.
So, inspired by my homemade buttermilk and a garden of winter inspiration (dehydrated persimmon and citrus zest), I began my scone journey.
These scones aren’t sweet, nor should they be. With lashings of butter and jam (if that’s your calling) they are delicious hot from the oven tray.
Not a big fan of raisins myself, I opted for 1/2 cup dried fruit and 1/2 cup of chia seeds. They were yum! The recipe could easily call for 1 cup of dried fruit and no chia seeds, it’ll work perfectly well.
Baked in a hot oven, these beauties take just 10-15 minutes and are your ideal golden brown, crunchy outer with moist insides.
Buttermilk & Chia Scones
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 cups high grade flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 80g cold butter
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (I used dried persimmon strips)
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- zest of 1 orange (approx 2 Tbsp)
- 1 3/4- 2 cups buttermilk (adjust to moist)
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C on fan bake.
- Sift dry ingredients into a bowl and, using a grater, grate in ice cold butter. Using a knife, mix and ensure butter shreds are covered with flour.
- Add dried fruit and chia seeds, mix well.
- Add buttermilk. Again using a knife, mix well – it will be a sloppy, moist mix. If in doubt, add 1 3/4 cups of milk first, then top up with remaining buttermilk if you think it can handle it.
- Place onto a floured board, pat and flip a few times so the outer is covered with a fine dusting of flour and doesn’t stick to your hands. With a sharp knife, slice through the dough into equal sized yet chunky pieces. No need to be fussy. Place close together on an oven tray lined with baking paper.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden.
- Serve hot, dripping with melted butter!
Enjoy.
