Currant Scones

I said before in my Simple Scottish Scones post that fruit scones like you see in the US aren't really traditional.  That doesn't mean they're not delicious, however, and I had some dried red currants left over from my Irish (American) Soda Bread experiments, so I decided to make some currant scones.

They're very simple to make.  I simply took my basic scone recipe and added some currants, plus sprinkled a little sugar on top before putting them in the oven.  The resulting scone is still light and buttery, but a bit sweeter than the plain scones.  Naturally, I still recommend splitting the scones and filling them with butter and blackcurrant jelly, like I did with the traditional ones.  These are perfect for tea parties, breakfast, or an afternoon treat!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup AP flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbs butter, plus  more for spreading
• 2 tbs sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup dried red currants
• 1 egg 
• 1 tbs water
• blackcurrant jelly

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 425F, and sprinkle a baking sheet with flour.  Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Rub in the butter, until the mixture reaches a sand-like texture.  Stir in the sugar and currants, then add the milk and stir until combined.  Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and knead very briefly until it forms a smooth dough.  Roll the dough out 3/4 inch thick, and cut into triangles or squares with a butter knife.*

Make an egg wash by beating the egg with the water.  Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, sprinkle lightly with sugar, place on the baking sheet, and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, until they've risen and are golden brown.  Let cool briefly, then split with a butter knife and fill with butter and blackcurrant jam.


These are best straight out of the oven, but will keep for a few days in a sealed container at room temperature.  Just don't put the butter and jam in any scones you plan on saving; they'll get soggy.

*Thrifty Scotswoman's tip: traditionally, Scottish scones are cut into circles with a cookie cutter.  While this works well, re-rolling and kneading the scraps to use more of the dough can result in tough scones, and no matter how many times you roll the dough out, you will still end up wasting some.  It's quicker and less wasteful to cut the scones into squares or triangles.