Currant Scones...

I got up a little earlier than normal this morning so I could get a batch of these Currant Scones into the oven for a treat at breakfast.

The dough for these golden scones is not especially sweet with just 2 tablespoons of sugar for 12 scones being added - they don't need much as they get a boost from the tiny currants strewn throughout. Made somewhat like pie dough, the dry ingredients are whisked together, followed by the addition of cold chunks of butter that are broken down into the flour by using a pastry blender or if you have cold hands, your fingertips! You could do this in a food processor, but I had no interest in hauling it out this morning - the butter nuggets should be small, random sizes, ranging from a mixture that looks like coarse meal to some larger pieces about the size of a pea.

We added the currants into the mix, then gently stirred in cold buttermilk and a beaten egg - stir it just enough that it looks like it is about to come together, then scoop it out onto a floured surface. This way you can control how much you end up working it - just press and lightly knead the mass a few times until it begins to hold together. Typically when we make scones, we'll pat out the dough and simply slice it into wedges. However, this time I took my round biscuit cutter to the dough and stamped out circles for variety.

Watch where you plunge the cutter so you can try and get as many scones out during the first try - once done, press the scraps together once and then cut the remaining. Any more than that and you might end up with tough scones.

To get a glorious crackled and crunchy finish on top, brush each unbaked scone with milk and sprinkle with a touch of granulated sugar. They won't take long to bake, ours took less than 15 minutes, but do let them cool down a bit before you whip out your jam or butter to slather inside. I had one about 15 minutes or so after they came out and once I sunk my teeth in, I was attracted to the simplicity of these scones and never even got a chance to add anything as I polished it off quickly! They are on the "plain" side, but with the mild tang from the buttermilk and those sweet currants, we thought that's what made these exceptional, making for a perfect vehicle to show off your best jam or softened butter (or if you do as I did right off the bat, appreciate them as is warm and naked!).

Recipes
Currant Scones