Orange Currant Scones

Orange currant scones with orange slices on a brown wooden cutting board, with a kitchen towel underneath.

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Orange currant scones made with buttermilk, orange zest, and dried currants, finished with a simple orange glaze.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Chilling Time30

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast and brunch recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: scones

Calories: 342kcal

Author: Cheryl Bennett

Ingredients

Orange Currant Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour 240g
⅓ cup granulated sugar 67g
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter unsalted, frozen and grated / 85g
¾ cup currants 90g, chilled
1 tablespoon fresh orange zest from 1 - 2 oranges
½ cup buttermilk 135g / 120mL
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Orange Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar 115g
1 ½ tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest

Instructions

Place your butter in the freezer. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Grate frozen butter (watch your fingers!) into the dry ingredients, and work the butter into the flour with a fork.
*You can also dice the butter into small pieces and use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until you have pea-sized pieces.
Add orange zest and dried currants to the flour mixture, then toss to coat in flour.
Whisk buttermilk, egg and vanilla together in a separate bowl or measuring cup. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, then pour in wet ingredients. With a fork, gently work the flour into the buttermilk mixture, until a shaggy dough forms.
Dump the shaggy dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board or countertop. Using a flexible bench scraper and/or your hands (see note), fold the dough over on itself, then gently pat it out just to flatten, then repeat once more. *Bring the dough together by patting it, rather than rolling it.
Form the dough into a circle, about 1 ½ inches high, and 7 - 8 inches wide. Wrap the dough in plastic, and freeze for 20 - 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C while scone dough is chilling.
Remove dough from freezer, cut into 8 wedges, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with buttermilk.
*If your scone dough has started to warm up, place the wedges of dough on the baking pan, and put them back into the freezer for 15 minutes.
Bake for 20 - 22 minutes, until golden brown on top. Place on a wire rack to cool.
Whisk glaze ingredients together in a small mixing bowl, drizzle over completely cooled scones. *Glaze is optional, but delicious.

Notes

My hands often run hot, so I prefer to use a flexible bench scraper to avoid heating up my dough.
If you are baking on a warm day, or your kitchen is on the warm side, you may need to chill the dough again after cutting into wedges. You want the scone dough to be VERY cold before baking.
I've tried this recipe with cream v buttermilk - I found the buttermilk gave it more flavor. That being said, if you prefer to bake them with cream or half and half, omit the baking soda.
I tried baking the scones close together and a bit more spread out - the difference was negligible, to be honest.
For large, bakery-style scones, cut the dough into 6 wedges instead of 8, and add 2 minutes to the baking time.
Don't skip the orange zest. It makes a world of difference.

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