Wednesday Food Blogging: Blueberry Scones

Note: I forgot to post this yesterday, but I think there's still 2 minutes left in Wednesday on the Pacific coast.

Plump blueberries peek out of their scones.

Yesterday I bought blueberries at the Marylebone M&S, an impulse purchase, I admit. But they looked good in their chic plastic punnet, and were half price. Which, at Marylebone, is still expensive. (I once saw bouquets of roses there for £120. Aimed at the guilty commuter market, I'm sure.)

Anyway, it's cold enough that something warm from the oven seemed like a good idea, and I actually welcomed the extra heat from the oven. (Those of you "baking" in America can just pretend I'm in Australia. Or Antarctica.)

I adapted a recipe I've fiddled with before and made Blueberry Scones. It's easy to throw together in a few minutes, and they bake in a jiffy.

Plus, scones are naturally vegan. I've never seen a scone recipe that calls for eggs, and soy milk and margarine work as well as their dairy counterparts. I substituted orange juice for the vanilla, and added some almond meal, which just seems to go well with blueberries.

The result, while slightly undercooked (I was hungry) was soft and moist, unlike those scones you buy in bakeries.

If you're inclined, you can replace all the white flour with wholemeal (whole wheat) for a healthier, guilt-free scone. It's cheaper than buying roses.

Blueberry Scones

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Approximately 1 cup soymilk


1 ½ cup plain unbleached flour

1 cup wholemeal flour

½ cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup margarine
 (non-hydrogenated)
½ cup ground almonds
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (about ½ orange)



Preheat over to 425 degrees. Lightly mist a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray. Add vinegar to soymilk and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (except the almonds), reserving just enough flour to sprinkle on a board—about  2 tablespoons. Add the margarine and cut in using two knives or just smash it up a bit with a spoon and then use your fingers to incorporate it evenly throughout. Add the almond meal (ground almonds) and mix thoroughly.

Add the blueberries, then pour in ¾ cup of the soymilk mixture and the orange juice. Mix, adding more soymilk if the mixture is too dry.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board, and divide into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a thick circle. Using a sharp knife, score the top of each circle, dividing it into quarters.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry. (You'll have to stick the toothpick into a blueberry-free zone, of course.) Cut the circles into wedges after they've cooled, about 5 minutes.

Comments

[bazu]

Mmmmm, perfect. Yes, my Antarctican friend, here in the northeastern U.S. we've been swinging madly from too hot to too cold on what seems like a daily basis! I'm filing this recipe away for when the blueberries come in, in a couple of weeks.

[KathyR]

Sounds yummy. But, yeah, I'm not turning the oven on here.

120 pounds for flowers?! You know how much that is American?

Oh, right, you do.

[KathyF]

Bazu: Blueberries for Sal...one of our favorite books when the girls were young. Check it out!

KathyR: When I saw those bouquets a few months ago I suddenly realized why my husband had never brought home flowers...

[Foodie]

Blueberries for Sal--yes, a huge favorite here, too.
As a child on Cape Cod each summer, I was dubbed the Blueberry Kid because I could be counted on to demand them at every meal.

Even as an old faht, I can stand at the kitchen counter and whip through a pint, easily. We recently bought six pints of Jersey blues and carried them back to NM in our luggage. Should have bought more, sigh.

[Maninas: Food Matters]

blueberry scones? what a great idea! yuuuum! my mouth is watering... i've just realised i've forgotten to have breakfast! (this happens once in a 1 000 000 years!)

[vanessa]

they look great - glad you made em!

[happy herbivore]

thanks for a great recipe, but as an fYI MOST scones are not vegan, they're usually made with milk, buttermilk, eggs and at coffee houses, shortening - and usually not the veggie kind! So its best to make your own!

[KathyF]

Happy Herbivore, I don't know about in the States, but here, every recipe I've seen is not made with eggs. That would ruin a scone. It's easy to sub margarine for butter, so that's why I said "naturally vegan". With caveats, of course.