Blueberry Scones and Cook's Club #2

Well this weekend has been a busy baking one! After my wedding cake I made some Blueberry scones for our Cook's club meeting. Our theme this time was "brunch" and we invited the family and men for this one since it was a holiday weekend and since Janet and Vanessa were hosting it at an awesome retro house in Los Angeles with an amazing swimming pool and backyard area.

First, the scones. I had made these before using the recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. The first time they were amazing so I knew they would be a good choice for this meeting. They are fairly easy to prepare and do not take much time at all. They are a little messy though but well worth the work. Here is the recipe with some pics to follow in the process.
You will need:
8 tbs. unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Topping:
2 tbs. melted butter
Raw sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

Freeze your butter before starting. Preheat oven to 425 deg. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.
Grate 8 tbs. (1 stick) of butter and set aside in the freezer, again.
Freeze your blueberries until you need them.
Whisk the milk and sour cream together. Refrigerate until needed.



In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and baking soda.
Add the frozen, grated butter and toss until coated thoroughly.
Fold in the cold milk/sour cream mixture...just until combined. Do not over mix. It is ok for it to be crumbly.


Turn the dough and any floury bits on a well floured countertop. Flour your hands and the dough and knead for 6-8 times...be gentle and do not press too hard. It should just hold together in a loose lump. It will be pretty soft and wet so add a bit of flour to prevent it from sticking. I use a bench scraper to lift the dough off the countertop.
Roll dough out in a 12 inch(or so) square. Fold the top and bottom of the dough over the center.
Like a business letter. Fold the sides of the dough to form a 4 inch square.
Chill the dough in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Flour your countertop again. Roll the chilled dough again in a 12 inch square. Sprinkle the chilled berries evenly over the whole surface.

Loosen the dough with a bench scraper.
Roll the dough in a log turn the seam side down and press down on the log to form a 12x4 inch rectangle.
With a floured knife, cut the dough in 4 small rectangles. Cut each rectangle in 2 triangles.
Place the scones on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 18-25 minutes OR until light golden brown( I like to place my scones in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes before baking so they do not spread out too much while baking. Cool 10 minutes and serve warm or room temperature.

The rest of the food was excellent and the guys seemed to enjoy being able to taste our creations as well. It was also fun meeting all the little cute kiddies. I was just sad I had another party to go to after, so I did not get to swim :(

The delicious spread!

Some of the awesome ladies that make up the Cook's Club, oh and the most 70's retro kitchen I have ever seen!!!