Time for Scones and Tea

There's a wedding about to happen in a few days - the ROYAL wedding of Kate and William.  Honestly, I'm not a "royals watcher" but this is a pretty big deal and I have a couple of friends who wanted a good recipe for scones in order to celebrate in a very British fashion. That is my reason for this post. That, and well......I needed a good reason to make them because I love to eat them.

If you've never eaten a scone, you have been missing out on one of the most delicious tea-time and breakfast treats. If you've eaten a well-made scone, then you know they are heavenly, ESPECIALLY with clotted cream!!!! (Google it).

If you've eaten a scone and thought to yourself, "this is a dry, crumbly mess that tastes like cardboard", then you've never really eaten a good scone and you need to do yourself a favor and make this recipe.

The key to lighter scones (and also in biscuits as well) is to NOT overwork the dough! Knead the dough JUST until it comes together and you will have a fantastic result.

(Said with a British accent) ~ DO enjoy these scones with a proper cup of tea.

Kate and William's Wedding Day Scones (DISCLAIMER - not actually eaten by Kate and William but only in honor of their wedding)

1/2 C dried sweet cherries
2 C all purpose flour
3 TBL brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C cold butter, cut into small pieces
zest of one orange
8 oz sour cream
1 beaten egg yolk
1 slightly beaten egg white

(Preheat oven to 400 degrees)

1. Pour boiling water over cherries to cover; let stand 5 minutes, drain well.



2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add butter to mixture and blend with fingers or pastry cutter until it resembles course crumbs. Stir in drained cherries and orange zest. Make a well in the center.



You can use a pastry blender, but I just use my hands.



Easy!



3. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and egg yolk. Add all at once to flour mixture. Using a fork, stir until combined (mixture will be dry).

4. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Quickly knead dough by gently folding and pressing for 10 to 12 strokes, or until it comes together and is smooth. Pat into a 7 inch circle. Cut into 12 wedges.

5. Arrange wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 1 inch apart. Brush with egg white. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Drizzle with Powdered Sugar Glaze if desired.

Powdered Sugar Glaze

Stir together 1 C powdered sugar, 1 TBL orange juice and 1/4 tsp vanilla. Stir in more orange juice if needed, 1 tsp at a time, til of drizzling consistency.