Strawberry Buttermilk Scones

No matter how big the box, whenever we have fresh strawberries in the house, they’re usually gone within a day. This time though, I set some strawberries aside to use in a recipe for scones that I’d bookmarked a couple of weeks back.
Using the sweet, juicy strawberries, I made the scones over the weekend and with the help of guests, we polished them off over breakfast.
These strawberry scones are cakey, tender and filled with jammy fruit in every nook and cranny. The crunchy, golden, sugar sprinkled tops give way to a crumbly interior and paired with coffee, these scones make an ideal breakfast.

Yield: 8 scones

Why I love this recipe: buttermilk gives these scones deliciously craggy, crunchy tops and keeps them light and tender inside, and the fruit to scone ratio is high, with large and juicy strawberries sprinkled everywhere for bursting-with-fruit scones, just the way I like them.

• 1½ cups fresh strawberries, chopped
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 stick butter, cold, cubed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten, for topping
• raw sugar, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder and soda and sugar. Add the butter and using your fingers, start cutting it into the flour. The mixture should resemble coarse pebbles.
3. Rub the butter between your palms to create sheets of it throughout the mixture.
4. Slowly pour the buttermilk into the flour mixture.
5. Using your hands, mix everything well. Add more flour as needed if dough is too wet. Turn dough over onto a floured surface and pat into a rough rectangle.
6. Place the strawberries on one half of the rectangle and fold the other half over them, covering the strawberries. Pat down.
7. Rotate the rectangle so that the short side is now facing you. Fold the top half over the bottom and pat out again. At this point it should resemble a square.
8. Rotate 180°, fold in half and pat out again, then shape into a round circle of even thickness.
9. Cut the dough into 8 triangles and place triangles on a parchment paper lined tray. Brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle the scones with raw sugar. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.
10. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.