Homemade Scones

Sometimes you wake up on a lazy Sunday morning and want to do nothing more than curl up on the couch with some bad television (e.g. shopping networks, chick flicks, and the endless news cycle) and a cup of hot, delicious coffee. And then there are the days when you follow that with a bit of baking, because sometimes you just can't leave to pick up fresh pastries, so why not make them from scratch?

The above perfectly describes a recent weekend here in Kirkland. Sleep in, lay around, and then whip up some Strawberry Almond Scones from scratch. Certainly in the summer you could use fresh strawberries, but all I had on hand were individually quick frozen ones from last summer. After a quick rinse, I was ready to tackle this recipe. Breakfast naturally turned into brunch as we waited for them to bake, but what a Sunday meal!

Strawberry Almond Scones

Scones
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (also called Sugar in the Raw)

Glaze Topping
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flours with the granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the 1 1/4 cups of buttermilk and carefully fold in the sliced strawberries.

2. Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, scoop the dough into 16 mounds on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the scones are golden and cooked through; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Let the scones cool on a rack for 30 minutes.

3. Lower the oven temperature to 350°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate and toast for about 8 minutes, until golden. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar with the buttermilk, almond extract and salt. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

4. Drizzle the scones with the glaze, then top with the almonds, pressing to help them adhere. Let dry for 10 minutes, then serve.