Cornmeal Plum Scones with Almonds

Fresh scones for breakfast or afternoon tea are one of the baking god’s greatest gifts. This plum variation is adapted from my Blueberry Scones, which were in turn adapted from Sour Cream and Fruit Scones by Dawn Perry in the New York Times. Best fresh, bakers can also make the dough, cut the scones, and freeze them for up to a month to later bake from frozen. Want a softer, airier scone? See Cook’s Notes. If making 16 scones, chill the cut scones 20 minutes or so before baking.

makes 8 large or 16 small scones

Ingredients

1¾ cups (224 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour-plus more for dusting the counter or board
¼ cup (40 grams) yellow cornmeal (I like Quaker brand.)
½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (4 oz/115 grams frozen salted butter cut into 1/2-inch slices or pieces (Use cold butter, not frozen, if rubbing butter in with your fingers instead of cutting in with food processor or pastry cutter.)
1 cup (190 grams) peeled, pitted, fresh ripe plums, patted dry with paper or cloth towels and diced into ½-inch pieces
½ cup (190 ml) sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
¼ cup (60 ml) milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water (can sub 1 tablespoon milk)--to brush on top of the scones before sprinkling w/ sugar and baking
Granulated sugar for sprinkling on the dough
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

PREP: Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the upper third. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
MIX DRY INGREDIENTS/CUT IN BUTTER: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade (or in a large bowl using a pastry cutter or your fingers), measure in the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse/stir a few times to mix. Add the pieces of butter and pulse/cut in/rub into the flour carefully until you have pea-sized and smaller pieces of butter.
TURN OUT FLOUR MIXTURE INTO A LARGE BOWL (if using the food processor/if you're using a pastry cutter or your fingers, the mixture will already be in the bowl) and stir in the diced plums. In a measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream or yogurt, milk, and almond extract, and pour that into the bowl. Using a table fork, stir until all the dry bits are incorporated, but the dough is still shaggy. Knead a few times until the dough barely holds together, then turn it out onto a lightly floured counter or board. The dough shouldn’t be uniform, smooth, or neat. Do not overwork the dough. (If by chance the dough is too sticky to work --and it shouldn't be if you've patted the fruit with paper towels -- sprinkle with another tablespoon of flour.)
PAT DOUGH with floured hands into a 1-inch-thick rectangle approximately 6” x 10”. Brush with lightly with about a tablespoon of the egg mixture and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar— 1 or 2 teaspoons. (You will have egg leftover you can cook for yourself or the dog.) Sprinkle the sliced almonds evenly on top and pat gently into the dough. Using a bench scraper or a knife, cut into first 2, then 4, then 8 (or then 16 for small scones—chill an hour before baking) rectangles. I like using the bench scraper to move the scones to the sheet pan. Place on prepared sheet pan as far apart as possible.
BAKE scones until golden on top and crispy on the bottom—about 20 minutes. Remove to a rack and cool for a minute or two before serving warm. Scones will keep for a day or two, well-covered but are best the day they're made. To reheat, split in half lengthwise, spread lightly with butter, and grill until toasty and hot in a stove top grill pan or skillet. Wrap well, place in freezer bag, and freeze baked scones for a month only if necessary.

Notes

COOK'S NOTES: If you'd like a wee bit lighter or more tender scone, increase the milk to 1/2 cup or skip patting the fruit dry with paper towels. You’ll get nearly the same effect. The scones will spread more while baking and you might need to cut them apart for serving. If baking from frozen, you may need to allow a couple of minutes longer baking time.