I had a craving for something sweet and bready today (which isn't that unusual) and strawberry scones sounded too good to pass up! So I looked up a couple of recipes and decided on combining them into this cinnamon roll-esque scone, adding fresh Mt. Hood strawberries to the mix. I'm a big fan of scones that are moist, lightly crunchy on the outside and perfectly soft and biscuity on the inside. Rolling them with a layer of butter, cinnamon and brown sugar was sure to keep them from drying out too much, and give them a nice sweet little crunch on the outside and gooeyness on the inside. So I took the idea and rolled with it. Pun very much intended. You're welcome.
Mount Hood strawberries are all the rage here in the Pacific Northwest. They are freshest every first week of June and yield a perfect balance of sweet and tartness. They are so delicious, and hold up excellently both baked and cooked down into preserves. They are my jam. Again, pun intended. You're welcome.
Dough:
4 C flour (I use Gold Medal Better for Bread)
2 Tb baking powder
1/2 Tsp salt
1/3 C sugar
1/2 C butter (cold, sliced thinly)
1 Pint fresh strawberries
1 & 3/4 C buttermilk
Filling:
1/2 C butter (softened)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 Tsp cinnamon
Icing:
1 C powdered sugar
2 Tb + 2 Tsp milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. I like to prep all my ingredients beforehand so it's easier to focus on the mixing and baking process without too much stuff in my workspace.
Wash and dice strawberries into about 1/4" pieces so they are easier to incorporate into the dough later. Lemon essential oil is AWESOME for washing fruit! Fill a bowl or your sink with cold water and add a drop of lemon, then let your fruit soak for a minute. Voila! Perfectly sanitized produce.
For the dough, throw all your dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl or electric stand mixer and blend together. Add cold pieces of butter and blend well using a pastry cutter until they are but small crumbles blended with your flour mixture.
Next, add your buttermilk by slowly pouring while mixing on medium speed. Very important: do not over mix! Only mix until the buttermilk is just incorporated and stop! Over mixing will result in a tougher, chewier consistency. Add your strawberries and mix again until they are just blended, again, careful not to over mix.
Turn dough onto well-floured surface and sprinkle top with flour. Roll out into a large rectangle.
Prepare your filling by whipping together soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until it's a smooth consistency and spread evenly over your rolled out dough.
Carefully roll your dough starting from the longest edge, and cut into about 1 1/4" slices.
Place each roll onto parchment lined sheets, about 2" apart. Bake for 25 minutes, or until edges are just golden brown. Take out and place each scone on cooling rack.
Prepare your icing by whisking together powdered sugar and milk until no clumps remain, and drizzle over scones.
Enjoy while they are still warm and melty! So good.