Castle Marne Award-Winning Scones

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter, softened (do not soften in microwave)
3/4 cup currants soaked in liqueur until plump (Hazelnut liqueur is our favorite. Orange juice works, too)
1 cup buttermilk
cinnamon and sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt until thoroughly blended. Using a pastry cutter (cutter is best, but a fork will do) cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
 
Drain the liquid and stir in currants. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add buttermilk all at once. Stir with a fork until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl (see Note). Gather dough together with your hands into a ball. Put on a lightly floured board and gently knead in another 1/2 cup flour if necessary to make a firm biscuit dough. Roll or pat into a circle about 1/2-inch thick. Using a small heart-shaped or daisy-shaped cookie cutter, cut into individual scones.
  
Place 1-1/2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. If you wish, brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk or cream. Lightly sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. 

Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the tops are lightly brown and the scones are firm to the touch. Serve warm with crême fraiche or fresh whipped cream, raspberry butter or lemon curd. Makes approximately 34 scones.

Note: The less you handle the dough the better. Gently press the dough flat with your hands and use the cutter. Do not knead the dough as if it were bread dough.

This recipe has been developed over the years at the Historic Castle Marne, using the best of many offerings from friends and other inns. We are certain you will enjoy them as much as our guests do.

Gluten-Free
Cranberry-Pear
Scones

Recipe courtesy Karen Morgan, of Blackbird Bakery
(http://blackbird-bakery.com)

After receiving a request for a recipe for scones, I felt spontaneously inspired. Perfect for that Sunday breakfast, or whatever need you may happen to be filling, they are light and fluffy in the middle with a decidedly crunchy exterior thanks to the sanding sugar that coats the top. The dried pears and cranberries add a nice touch of sour-sweetness while the lemon and butter tie everything together while cleansing the palette.


8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons guar gum
1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 slices dried pears, diced
1 cup dried cranberries
Zest of 1 medium lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Sanding sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 400º F and liberally butter a cookie sheet with unsalted butter and set aside.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk over the powdered gelatin and allow to soften for at least 10 minutes. Using a small whisk, stir the gelatin in the buttermilk to prevent any clumping.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and combine until evenly distributed. Add the diced unsalted butter and using a pastry cutter, cut into the dry ingredients until the butter resembles many small pearls.

Zest the lemon right over the dough, then add the dried pears and cranberries. Pour the buttermilk mixture over all your dry ingredients and stir until the dough looks and feels sticky.

Dust a clean countertop with additional sorghum flour, turn the dough out onto your work surface and dust the top of the dough with more sorghum flour. Knead the dough until no longer sticky.

Shape your dough into a rectangle, about one foot long, 5 inches wide and 2 inches thick. Coat the top of your dough with the melted butter and then sprinkle with the sanding sugar. Cut your rectangle into 9 triangles and then transfer the scones to your prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400º F, rotating your pan after 15 minutes of baking. The scones should have minimal additional color.

Serve immediately. Makes 9 scones.