A Tranquil Morning

Red Raspberry & Meyer Lemon Scones

or all the many reasons to love scones, my favorite is that their preparation is tranquilly quiet. While I love making and eating breakfast, an exuberant morning person I am not, preferring to ease my senses into the civility of the day. The machineless, silent, fingers-only cutting in of the butter is a peaceable way to greet morning. I love to be working over my bowl, listening to the steam slowing building in the kettle, newspaper pages being turned in the next room, the hum of the heater kicking on and the long sigh of the Murray the Amazing Wonder dog stretching into his first urdva mukha svanasana of the day.

Other reasons to love scones include their buttery richness, tender crumb, just-barely sweetness, and their tendency to be specked with bits of fruit. And, these raspberry scones are a pretty pink. Who doesn't love pink food?

This recipe includes red raspberries pulled from our freezer stash of last summer and a tang from the Meyer lemon zest. A bit of whole wheat adds a subtle nuttiness that I love. Due to the tartness of my raspberries, I sweetened this recipe a tad more than I might if I was using a sweeter fruit.

Red Raspberry & Meyer Lemon Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
zest of 1 Meyer lemon
3/4 cup (1 1/2) sticks cold butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup frozen red raspberries
1 cup cold buttermilk, plus 2 Tablespoons additional for brushing tops

Glaze
8 red raspberries, thawed and smashed

Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Mix first seven ingredients (flours through lemon zest) together in mixing bowl. Add butter, rubbing with fingertips while tossing in the flour until mixture resembles coarse meal, trying for nothing larger than pea-sized butter bits. Toss in frozen raspberries. Gradually add buttermilk, stirring until moist clumps form. On a well-floured surface, turn dough out and need briefly to bind, about 4 turns or so. Don't worry if your raspberries break a bit. Pat dough into a 1" thick round. Cut into 10 wedges. Place wedges on parchment lined baking sheet and brush tops with additional buttermilk. Space them about 2" apart, as they do expand. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool ten minutes.

While scones are cooling, whisk smashed raspberries, melted butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth, adding additional lemon juice drop by drop until glaze is thin enough to brush over scone tops, but substantial enough to make a thick glaze on the warm scones. Serve warm or room temperature.

I glaze the scones on a cooling rack over the sink, saving on cleanup later.