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Currant Scones

These teatime treats come courtesy of Letty Hampton, whose mother made them back home in Scotland.
Everyday Food, March 2009
  • Prep Time 10 minutes
  • Total Time 25 minutes, plus cooling
  • Yield Serves 12
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 3/4 cup dried currants
  • 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar.
  2. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in currants. Make a well in center; add buttermilk and egg, and stir just until combined (do not overmix).
  3. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface; knead 5 or 6 times. Pat into an 8-inch disk. With a floured 2 1/4-inch biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. Reroll and cut scraps once.
  4. Transfer to baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Brush rounds with milk; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until scones are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook's Note

Dried currants are a traditional ingredient in scones. Find them in the dried-fruit section of the supermarket, or substitute raisins, dried cherries, or dried cranberries.

Recipe Reviews

Reviews (6)

  • HandyIII
    10 Apr, 2013

    Just made these for breakfast and they came out great. They remind me often trip to Edinburgh Scotland.

  • Misstapher
    24 Apr, 2011

    I prepared these a few days before Easter and froze the cut out dough. Easter morn I popped them in the oven and they turned out great. May have added an extra minute or two.

  • homestar
    15 Mar, 2011

    These are easy to make and I can't get enough of them. You have to stop me from sitting in the kitchen and eating the whole batch! Here's two photos showing how a recent batch turned out: http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/1363915/2/Public/edf-scones?h=4ee240

  • Lgutierrez32
    14 Feb, 2011

    These were great! I made them a day in advance and carefully stored them in tupperware and served them for brunch the next day and they stil tasted fresh. I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter since it was Valentine's Day and they kept their shape just fine. I will definitely make these again!

  • aFarmgirlsDabbles
    17 Aug, 2010

    I LOVE these scones! Make them! I used dried wild blueberries and they were heavenly. If you want to read more and see photos of my scones, please visit:
    http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com

  • EWjunk
    17 Mar, 2009

    I too thought these were "just okay". I used 1/2 golden raisins and 1/2 currants. Instead of rolling and cutting the dough, I patted it into a 1/2" thick rectangle and cut it into 12 squares. I do this whenever I make biscuits or scones - saves time and none of the biscuits/scones have that "second cutting" toughness.