Cara Cara Orange and Apricot Scones - For All the Downton Abbey Lovers I Know

Scones are biscuits that first appeared in print at the turn of the 16th century in Scotland and have been both revered and scorned.  Those that are revered are the  fresh-out-of-the-oven scones and bear no resemblance to their store bought cousins.  Scones are traditionally unsweetened or lightly sweetened and served with butter, clotted cream and jam or marmalade.  I have two basic recipes (see my blueberry and pecan scones published a few years ago) that I tweak depending on what ingredients I have on hand.  Today I have oatmeal, cara cara oranges and dried apricots.  The orange zest and a little of the juice in the dough will add delicate orange flavor while the apricots will add sweetness with out too much added sugar.

When I worked at the restaurant scones were a mainstay of Sunday Brunch.  We started out making everything from scratch on Sunday morning but over time realized that we could make some of the mixes the day before and add in wet ingredients and bake.  If you have company coming or are planning a brunch - mix all the dry ingredients, incorporate the shredded butter and you can refrigerate this mix up to 24 hours.  I like to use shredded butter and then mix gently with my fingers or in the standing mixer until the mix feels like damp sand.  The egg wash puts a nice golden brown crust on the scones - watch them carefully after 14 or so minutes they brown quickly.

I've already eaten two of these while writing this post so I better finish up and put them away so I have some to enjoy tonight during the next episode of Downton Abbey.

Cara Cara Orange, Apricot and Oatmeal Scones
Makes 16 scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine:
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats (I used Quaker)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon buttermilk powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
zest of 2 oranges (reserve 1 teaspoon for the glaze)

Shred using a box grater:
1 cup of unsalted butter

In a standing mixer or gently with your fingers work the butter into the dry ingredients.

Thinly slice and set aside:
1/2 cup dried apricots

Combine/whisk:
2 eggs
2 T fresh orange juice
2 T cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup honey

With the mixer running on lowest speed add the wet ingredients until just mixed and then add the dried apricots until just incorporated.  Turn off the mixer.  You might need to take a woodent spoon and turn the dough once or twice to get apricots evenly into the dough.

Generously flour a work surface and dump half the dough onto the flour.  Sprinkle additional flour on the top of the mound.  Gently pat the dough into a disk that is approximately 8" in diameter and 5/8" thick.  Using a sharp knife or preferable a pastry knife cut the disk into 8 wedges.  Place the wedges onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush the scones with an egg wash.  Whisk:
1 egg
1 - 2 teaspoons cream or half and half.

If you are not making a glaze sprinkle with sugar before baking.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes checking after 15 minutes.

When still just slightly warm glaze with:

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon reserved orange zest

Mix glaze thoroughly - you may need to add more confectioners sugar to get the right consistency.
Enjoy!