Orange Cranberry Scones

Now that I have creme fraiche at my disposal, lets get cracking on all those recipes which call for them.  My first choice would be the orange cranberry scones that I have been eyeing for quite awhile now from flour by Joanne Chang.

Scones have a reputation of being dry and tasteless.  If you have not baked scones before, please do not take the seemingly easy preparation for granted.  If you do, there's a good chance that you will end up with cardboardy scones.  Two important tips to scone success are to make sure all your ingredients are very cold, especially the butter (heck, if you could ice your fingertips, do that too), and not to overwork the dough.  If you follow these two rules religiously, I guarantee you will have a very tender and fluffy pastry.

Anyway, did you know that there are two ways to pronounce scone ? One is "skon" (rhyming with "con") and the other is "skoan" (rhyming with "cone").  I have always pronounced it as per the latter, but skon or skoan, these scones have such a nice crisp crust with a light, buttery and fluffy texture.  And they are so good for breakfast or tea, especially when eaten fresh from the oven - I have this taboo that scones should never ever be eaten cold, they must be warm and fresh from the oven.  Perfect with a glass of cold milk or a cup of steaming hot coffee.  My only fault here is that I have may patted the dough out too thin.

You will need:
385 g all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

70 g granulated sugar

80 g dried cranberries

115 g unsalted butter, cold and cut into 8 to 10 pieces

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1 cold egg
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tbsp granulated sugar


Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 150 deg C.


Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and cranberries on low speed for 10 to 15 seconds, or until combined.  Scatter butter over the top and beat on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the butter is somewhat broken into grape-sized pieces.


In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, creme fraiche and whole egg until thoroughly mixed.  On low speed, pur the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and beats for 20 to 30 seconds,or until the dough comes together.  There will still be loose flour mixture at the bottom of the bowl.


Remove bowl from the mixer stand.  Gather and lift dough with your hands and turn it over in the bowl, so that it starts to pick up the loose flour at the bottom.  Turn over the dough several times until all the loose flour is mixed in.


Dump the dough onto a baking sheet and pat in into an 8-inch circle about 1 inch thick.  Brush the egg yolk evenly over the top.  Sprinkle the 2 tbsp sugar over the top, then cut the circle into 8 even wedges (I omitted the yolk and sugar steps as I didn't want shiny top scones, and the extra sweetness).

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the entire circle is golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, then cut the prescored wedges.  Serve warm with butter and jam, if desired.