Buttermilk Lemon Scones are quite simple to make and turn out light and fluffy if made with a delicate touch. They're perfect for Mother's Day brunch.
Everyone loves a good scone, don't they? I've always loved going to afternoon tea and I've already taught my kids to love it too. Its probably one of my most favorite things to do, and one of the best parts of an amazing afternoon tea are the scones.
I'm always a little afraid when I attempt to make things like scones, pie dough, or biscuits. You see, you have to be very gentle with the dough. The trick to a light and fluffy pastry is to have little chunks of butter folded in, and the final result is 100% dependent on your mixing technique. In the photo above, you can see how crumbly my dough was when I tossed it onto the counter top.
At that point I gently used my hands to work in the remaining flour and then shape it into a flat disk. Don't you just love the cute little hearts? I bought that cutter specifically to make these scones.
I love adding a layer of crunchy sugar on top. Mmmmmm.
Now, some day, I promise I'll make some creme fraiche and then I'll come on here and tell you all about it, but I just didn't have a full day to devote to the process so I just made standard old whipped cream to put on top and boy was it good.
Can you imagine how happy any mom would be on Mother's Day to be served warm buttermilk lemon scones alongside her coffee and other treats during breakfast in bed? I might just whip up a batch so my kids can serve them to me.
Buttermilk Lemon Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- zest from one large lemon
- ¾ cup unsalted butter ( cold, cut into 1" cubes)
- 1 whole egg
- buttermilk (about a cup, see instructions)
- large sparkly sugar crystals for the top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare your baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
- Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest to a food processor with the dough attachment in place. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients.
- Add cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture has little pea sized dough balls.
- Using a glass (or see through) measuring cup, add the egg and lightly beat. Then, add enough buttermilk such that the combined volume of the egg and the buttermilk is 9 ounces. Stir to combine.
- Slowly add the buttermilk egg mixture to the dry ingredients while pulsing after each pour just to combine. Be very careful not to over mix. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Not all of my dough was combined and I worked it together once on the counter. Pat the dough so that it is about 1" thick. Slice into biscuits or use a cutter to cut out shapes.
- Sprinkle the scones with the sparkly sugar and bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Serve with whipped cream, butter, or creme fraiche as well as fruit preserves.
Annette
Hi, this is my first time trying a recipe of yours and my first time making scones. This recipe was delicious! And so easy to make. I didn't even use a food processor I just used a wooden spoon and my hands to kneed the dough. We had hem warm from the oven with a little bit of whipped cream and boysenberry preserve, yum! Making two more batches for my neighbors. Thank you!
Krissy
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, Annette! Now, send me some of those scones! Krissy
kaitlin
hi- you might want to recheck your ingredient amounts that you have listed here- we tried making this recipe and it was awful-- the scones had a horrible baking powder aftertaste and were too dry. We mixed everything together but 2 TB baking powder seems off. Great pics on your blog though!
Krissy
Hi Kaitlin, Sorry to hear that! I just spot checked a few scone recipes online and found that for the amount of flour I used, the going rate is between 1-2 T. So, mine may have been a bit on the high side. I don't remember not liking the taste though. Hopefully you'll make them again with less and tell me if they work? thanks!!! Krissy