Pecan and Blueberry Scones - Something Hearty and Warm for a Very Cold Saturday Morning

The forecast for today is for temperatures to drop well below zero and I wanted something warm and cozy for breakfast.  Bill and I have been at odds about scones, he prefers a breakfast that includes eggs, meat and vegetables.  My sister in law Anita sent us a lovely package of tea from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf - the English Breakfast Tea is a splendid compliment to this scone.  I started baking scones for Sunday Brunch at my mom's restaurant, The Old Courthouse.  The basic version of this recipe was sent to me by my friend Kon who supplied me with almost weekly packets of great recipes in our first months of operation.

Today I used frozen wild blueberries from Maine.  The frozen berries are a little trickier to use because they can turn your dough a lovely purple color if you don't treat them gently.  You want to keep the frozen berries in the freezer until you are ready to incorporate them in the dough.  Do not thaw them!

Blueberry and Pecan Scones

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine, whisk and set aside:

1 egg
3 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

Chop (large pieces) 1/3 - 1/2 cup pecans and set aside

Sift:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Grate:

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter

into the sifted flour mixture.  Quickly mix either with your fingers or a pastry blender until it resembles course meal.  Add the liquid mixture and with a few quick strokes, combine. Do not over mix as the dough will become tough.

Add:

1 Cup blueberries (either fresh or frozen)
1/3 - 1/2 cup pecans chopped

Smear the dough over the entire bottom of the bowl and pour the pecans and blueberries over the dough.  Fold the dough over the blueberries a couple of times to incorporate being careful not to smash the berries.

 Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  I divided my dough into three pieces and then gently formed each piece into a disk.  Pat the disk down to about 3/4" high (use flour generously at this stage).  Using a pastry knife (like the one shown in the amazon link at left) to cut the scone dough into small wedges.  I was able to make 14 scones with this recipe.  Place each scone on your parchment covered baking sheets.

Brush scones with a whisked egg white wash and sprinkle with large crystal sugar (I use King Arthur Sparkling White Sugar). 

Bake 15 - 18 minutes until golden brown.  Baking time will depend on the size of your scones.