The very first time I tried a scone, I was living in England. I was staying at a bed & breakfast, I ended up staying so long the owners used me as their live in babysitter from time to time. Their home is also the first place I ever encountered a ghost (I will have to tell you about that at another time).
Back to the lemon scones…
On the weekends, when most of their guests stayed (other than the British football team that was living there, as well (again, a story for another time) the lady of the house would make fresh baked scones for all her guests to enjoy. The scones were a bit more cake-like than the other scones I have ever tasted since. After a few weeks, I also started helping her in the kitchen. I had my own motive, I wanted that recipe. She was happy to pass it along to me In exchange for my help in the kitchen.
Sadly, I never did get that recipe, and I have searched for a more cake-like scone, to no avail.
Here is what I have come up with…
Combine dry ingredients with the cold butter until the mixture resembles small crumbs.
Add in the buttermilk.
Form dough into a disk and cut wedges about 3/4 of the way down the dough.
Bake until golden brown.
Top with glaze.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup refined sugar
- 1 stick cold butter cut up into cubes
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon corse salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- raw sugar for sprinkling
- FOR GLAZE
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place a silpat or parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- In a bowl combine, flour, sugar, baking power, salt and butter. Use a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like small crumbs.
- Add buttermilk, vanilla, slightly beaten egg, and lemon zest. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Turn mixture onto a floured surface and shape dough into a 6 inch flat disc. Transfer to the baking sheet.
- Cut wedges into the dough, making sure not to cut all the way through the dough.
- Sprinkle the top with the raw sugar.
- Bake for 35 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a tooth pick poked in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
- FOR GLAZE:
- Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth.
- Drizzle over scones.
Enjoy!