Peach Scones

Fresh scones for breakfast or afternoon tea are one of the baking god’s greatest gifts. This peach variation, adapted from my Blueberry Scones, (which were in turn adapted from Sour Cream and Fruit Scones by Dawn Perry in the New York Times), is also lovely with diced strawberries, halved blackberries, or any combination of the three. Best fresh, bakers can also make the dough, cut the scones, and freeze them for up to a month to later bake from frozen. I make these using a food processor, but they will work fine in a large bowl with a pastry cutter or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour mixture if need be. Want a softer, airier scone or even smaller ones? See Cook’s Notes.

makes 8 large or 16 smaller scones

Ingredients

2 cups/255 grams unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the counter or board
½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on scones before baking or freezing
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup frozen salted butter, 4 oz/115 grams, cut into ¼-inch slices or pieces
1 cup /190 grams peeled, pitted, and diced fresh ripe peaches, patted dry with paper or cloth towels
½ cup (190ml) sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
¼ cup (60ml) milk
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

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, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse or stir a few times to mix. Add the pieces of butter and pulse (or cut in/rub in) carefully 6-8 times or until you have pea-sized and smaller pieces of butter.
TURN OUT FLOUR MIXTURE INTO A LARGE BOWL and stir in the peaches. Whisk together the sour cream or yogurt and milk 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 dough.
PAT DOUGH with floured hands into a 1-inch-thick rectangle approximately 6 ½” x 12 ½”. Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar. Using a bench scraper or a knife, cut into first 2, then 4, then 8 (or then 16 for small scones) rectangles. (See Cook's Notes on info for even smaller scones.) for Place on prepared sheet pan as far apart as possible.
BAKE scones until golden, 18-22 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 when fresh. To reheat, split in half lengthwise, spread lightly with butter, and grill until toasty and hot in a stove top grill pan or skillet. Freeze extras in a Ziplock freezer bag for 2 months.

Notes

COOK'S NOTES: If you'd like a wee bit lighter or more tender scone, increase the milk to 1/2 cup OR leave the peaches wet—don’t pat them dry. 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.

For 28, 2-inch scones, chill the patted-out dough at least an hour before cutting.