Welcome to letter R and to this year’s Theme:

 The Glories of Tea With Stepheny

Fragrant Orange English Scones

Makes 10- 2.5″ scones.

Note: Kensington Palace Scones are originally made without any orange zest or glaze. If you aren’t into the orange flavor, make them plain and they are just as delicious (and most authentic) this way!

Ingredients:

{Orange Scones}

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp baking powder

2 tsp grated orange rind

1/3 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (I used Spectrum brand)

1/3 cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1 egg, beaten

bench flour

{Light Orange Glaze}

2 tsp grated orange rind

1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 Tbsp orange juice

Equipment:

fine grater/zester

food processor

large mixing bowl

liquid measuring cup

fork

work surface

2.5″ round cookie cutter

rolling pin

half baking sheet

parchment paper

cooling rack with a baking sheet underneath

Directions:

1.) Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Measure out the butter and shortening. Cut butter into 1/4″ cubes and place on a plate. Spoon shortening into 1 tsp chunks and place on the same plate. Place plate with butter and shortening in the freezer to chill for a few minutes.

2.) Place all dry ingredients into the food processor and pulse a few times to combine ingredients. Add 2 tsp of orange rind, and pulse one more time. In measuring cup, measure out the milk, then add egg and beat until the mixture is thoroughly mixed.

3.) Remove butter/shortening from the freezer and add it to the food processor with flour. Pulse the fats with the dry ingredients several times until you get pea-sized pieces of the fat covered in flour. Dump this mixture into a large bowl, then gradually add in liquid mixture with a fork until you get barely mixed shaggy dough.

4.) Dump the shaggy dough onto a work surface scattered with bench flour. Knead the dough ball 8-10 times. For the final kneading, fold the dough entirely onto itself.

5.) Roll dough out to a thickness of 1″. Use a round cookie cutter to punch out rounds. Use bench flour on rolling pin and cookie cutter as necessary, to stop the dough from sticking. Place dough rounds on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, at least 1″ apart. Bake scones for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

6.) Make Light Orange Glaze. Mix powdered sugar, 2 tsp of orange zest, and orange juice together in a small bowl. Set aside.

7.) After removing scones from the oven, place on a cooling rack with a baking sheet underneath. Spoon glaze over scones. This glaze is for flavor and not looks. It will seep into the exterior of the scone, giving the scones an extra boost of orange freshness. Serve scones warm, with generous amounts of jam and cream.

Adapted from Kensington Palace Scones recipe in Bruce Richardson’s The Great Tea Rooms of Britain.

ENJOY