Strawberry Creek Inn’s Whole Wheat Dried-berry Scones

Total Time: 4 hrs 12 mins Preparation Time: 4 hrs Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 small lemons, zest of (or 1 large)
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (any mix of cranberries, cherries, blueberries or raisins)
• 3/4 cup slivered almonds
• all-purpose flour, for dusting
• 3/8 cup frozen unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Recipe

• 1 sift 1st 4 dry ingredients into a large bowl; stir in lemon zest.
• 2 chop frozen butter into pieces slightly larger than pea size (you can also do this step in a food processor).
• 3 add frozen butter to dry ingredients and cut in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips, until butter pieces are pea-sized.
• 4 chop dried fruit into pea-sized pieces (if desired).
• 5 add dried fruit and almond slivers to dry ingredients and combine with your hands (run your hands down the sides of mixing bowl and lift up through center a few times).
• 6 make a well in the center of the dry ingredients by gently removing ingredients from the center of bowl and stacking up the sides.
• 7 in a separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla and heavy cream.
• 8 pour wet ingredient mix into center of well in dry ingredient mix.
• 9 while turning the bowl with one hand, incorporate dry ingredients into well a little at a time.
• 10 once you have made it around the outside of the dry ingredients, fold mixture a few times until wet and dry ingredients are incorporated (if dough seems to thin, add a bit more flour and fold in; if dough seems to thick, add a touch more cream and incorporate. if needed, make these additions in small amounts).
• 11 remove dough from mixing bowl; wrap air-tight in plastic wrap; wrap tightly a 2nd time.
• 12 place wrapped dough in freezer until dough is no longer tacky and resists considerably when you poke it, yet is not frozen solid; approximately 3 hours.
• 13 sprinkle a large working surface with a light dusting of all-purpose flour.
• 14 remove dough from plastic wrap and center on floured work surface; sprinkle top of dough with a dusting of all-purpose flour as well.
• 15 using the palms of your hands, press dough outward into a level, 10x10-inch square; turning, flipping or dusting with additional flour as needed.
• 16 ensure square is level and of 1/2-inch thickness on all sides.
• 17 using the edge of a pastry scrapper or a pizza cutter (dusted with flour or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray), cut the dough diagonally both ways from corner to corner, creating 4 equal-sized triangles.
• 18 next, cut dough from center to center of each side, lengthwise & crosswise; you will have now created 4 squares---each containing 2 triangles, or 8 triangles in total.
• 19 carefully lift each triangle-shaped piece using the flat portion of a pastry scrapper or a large spatula (dusted with flour or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray), and place pieces onto a large (approximately 11x16-inch) lined cookie sheet (cookie sheet may be lined with a silpat baking mat or parchment paper); leave at least 1 inch between each scone, using as many lined baking sheets as needed.
• 20 bake in a preheated, 375 degree f oven for about 10-12 minutes depending on the accuracy of your oven, or until scones have turned lightly golden on top and gently browned on bottom.
• 21 remove baking sheet from oven, allow scones to cool for a few minutes, then remove to wire rack to continue cooling.
• 22 serve scones warm or at room temperature, with honey, butter, fruit spreads, or an assortment of jams and jellies.
• 23 store leftover scones air-tight at room temperature.