Sweet Citrus & Currant English Tea Scones
Winter is the peak time for citrus, so it’s a great time to take advantage of the abundance of juicy, sweet fresh oranges at your local grocer — or from your own tree, if you’re lucky enough to have one in your backyard!
For this traditional English Scone* recipe, we’ve paired up fresh winter oranges with our Premium Dried Black Currants and topped our scones with lots of creamy, whipped butter and strawberry jam for the ultimate breakfast pastry!
*English Scones are very similar to American scones but far less sugary, in case you’re not familiar with them, as they aren’t as common in the states!
Ingredients
3/4 Cup Sisters Dried Black Currants
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
4 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 Cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup coarse or granulated sugar crystals
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Heat orange juice in microwave for about 30 seconds, or until warm
Cover currants with warmed juice in a bowl and set aside, to hydrate.
Add baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix together, using the paddle attachment at low speed. Add the butter cubes to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until butter cubes reduce to the size of small peas, about 30 seconds.
Drain currants and discard any remaining soaking juice; mix currants, buttermilk, and orange zest into the flour mixture on low speed just until the dough starts to hold together.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out until it is uniformly 1 1/2 inches thick. Brush dough with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar crystals.
Cut the dough out with round, metal cookie cutters. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until scones are lightly golden brown, about 18 minutes. Serve warm.
Toppings
Butter or Clotted Cream (Clotted Cream is commonly paired with scones in Great Britain, but Whipped Butter works very nicely too!)
Strawberry Jam
