Seriously good blueberry scones.

We had some fresh blueberries to use up on Sunday & I fancied something tasty for afternoon tea. For ages now I've been wanting to make buttermilk scones - so I decided it was high time to try. 

I found a recipe for plain buttermilk scones, adapted it slightly & then added the blueberries. I added a decent amount of them too. No point having scones with only a couple of blueberries in them! With my fingers crossed I watched the scones in the oven like a hawk - my luck with scones can be hit & miss, but I'm learning a new scone secret each time I make them. 

The biggest scone secret I've learnt - which I had heard before but never fully appreciated - is that you need to make scones as if you're in the biggest hurry to get them in the oven. Like your life depends on it. What this means is that you won't end up faffing around mixing, kneading, rolling, patting - as soon as that scone mix starts to come together in the bowl, you want to quickly give it a roll around & gentle knead in the bowl - just for a few seconds - throw that mixture out onto a floured bench, pat it to form a rough rectangle & cut those scones out as quick as you can. Into the oven they go - & the key is to have a reasonably hot oven too, 220C static or 200C fanbake. Watch them like a hawk & don't be afraid to quickly rotate the trays in the oven if some scones are browning faster than the others. 15-20 mins is all they'll need. 

As soon as my scones came out of the oven, I had a good feeling about them. They had risen evenly & beautifully, with a soft golden glow on the top of each. Waiting for the scones to cool down ever so slightly, I cut one in half & spread a thin layer of margarine over the top which quickly melted in. My first bite was delightful & it just got better from there. 

I'm quite excited about these scones. They're super light & fluffy with a delicious blueberry goodness throughout. They would actually be quite nice plain - there's really no need for butter or marg on them, but I'll leave that one up to you.

My conclusion? These are the best scones I've ever eaten. So many scones these days are dry, flavourless, caked in flour on the bottoms or just too dense in consistency. It's refreshing to find a recipe that is easy & quick to make. It's a recipe that I can use time & time again - this one is definitely a keeper.

Enough of the chit chat. Let's get on to the recipe - I hope you enjoy making (& most importantly) eating these as much as I did.

Makes 12-15 scones

Ingredients

450g self raising flour

100g cold butter - cut into small cubes

85g caster sugar

284 ml buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla essence

Splash of milk

250g fresh blueberries (you could try using frozen blueberries, I would leave them to defrost while you get everything ready, then drain off any excess water)

What to do

1. Heat your oven to 220C static or 200C fan bake. Prepare two large baking trays: spray them with cooking oil spray, then line them with non-stick baking paper
2. Put the flour & butter into a large bowl, then using clean dry hands, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs & there's no more lumps of butter
3. Stir in the sugar
4. Using a microwave safe bowl or jug, measure out the buttermilk & add the vanilla. Zap in the microwave for 30 seconds
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the buttermilk. Set the jug or bowl aside as you'll use the leftover drops of buttermilk for brushing the tops of the scones
6. Very briefly (remember - like your life depends on it!) mix together the scone dough until it's just starting to come together. Finish the rest by hand - just give it a couple of quick rolls around to pick up any remaining dry ingredients & give it a quick, gentle knead
7. Tip onto a floured bench. Only knead as much as you need (hehe - sorry, couldn't help it!) to quickly form the dough into a rectangle of a good 1.5 inches in depth. The trick is not to pat the dough too low. The last thing you want is a thin scone. Grab a knife & cut the dough into three strips down the length of the rectangle, then from there cut each scone out evenly.
8. Place scones on your baking trays, at least 1.5 inches apart. Add a splash of milk to the leftover dregs of buttermilk, give it a quick mix & then use it to brush the top of each scone
9. Place scones in the oven for around 15-20 mins. Turn/rotate part way through if you have a hot spot in the oven & some scones are browning quicker than others. Every oven varies, so just keep a close eye on them & remove from the oven when they're golden on top & have risen nicely
10. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire cooling rack

Needless to say, these scones are best enjoyed with a good cup of tea. Get out the good tea too - some nice tea leaves in an actual tea pot. Sit back & enjoy! xx

P.S any leftover scones can be frozen.