Corn Cherry Scones

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Corn Cherry Scones - Arizmendi & Cheese Board Collective

February 21, 2008, 5:45 pm

Posted by cookie in Quick Breads

Whenever we're in Oakland or Berkeley, we end up stopping at Arizmendi Bakery for goodies. One of our favorites of theirs is their Corn Cherry Scones - made with cornmeal and dried sour cherries.

Needless to say, I was delighted to find the recipe on the SF Chronicle website -- Arizmendi and The Cheese Board come from the same beginnings. I tried this recipe in 2006 or so, and it's pretty darned close to what we buy. Had to add a bit more flour to reduce sticking.

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CHEESE BOARD CORN CHERRY SCONES

This is one of many scone recipes in "The Cheese Board Collective Works" (Ten Speed Press, 2003, 230 pages) by Berkeley's Cheese Board Collective, and one of our overall favorite scones. The golden nuggets have a slight cornmeal crunch and are studded with plump cherries. Cheese Board baker Carrie Blake says that while you can use a mixer, it's better to mix the dough by hand.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup + 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups medium-grind yellow cornmeal

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

3/4 cup dried sweet cherries

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425°. Adjust rack in center of oven. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a baking mat.

Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl. Add salt, 2/3 cup sugar, and the cornmeal. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add butter and cut in with a pastry cutter until it is the size of small peas. Using the spoon, mix in cherries. Make a well in the center; add buttermilk. Mix briefly, until ingredients just come together; some loose flour should remain at bottom of bowl. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.

Gently shape the dough into balls about 2 1/4 inches in diameter (they should have a rough, rocky exterior) and place them on the prepared pans about 2 inches apart.

Sprinkle the 1/4 cup sugar on top of the scones. Place the scones on the middle rack of the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375°. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the scones are golden. Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.

Yields 15-20 scones

Original Source:
SFgate.com
Wednesday, May 10, 2006