Cranberry orange scones – ‘cut in’ the butter

This was the second time I made this scone, and this time it turned out perfect. Practice makes perfect. Well, maybe practice + knowledge.

This recipe came from Food in Jars, a blog that I frequently visit for canning and jamming recipes. I packed these for Christmas gifts, and the first time I baked it, the result was a bit dry and not flaky. What went wrong? I trust that Marisa from food in jars would only share good and tested recipes. As my co-worker and I discuss our method of making the scones (note, both of us are not bakers), another co-worker who regularly bakes pointed us to the answer.

Cut the butter into the mix.

Definition: ‘Cut in’ means working cold, solid butter into dry ingredients with two knives or a pastry blender until well mixed. When making pastry, solid shortening, lard, or butter is cut in to a flour mixture until the particles are the size of small peas. This creates a flaky texture by coating the flour proteins with shortening, interrupting the gluten formation (from About.com)

So this time around, with my new knowledge under my belt, I set out to bake the scones.

It. Was. Delicious. Best I have ever tasted. It was moist, flaky, bouncy, and so fresh. I think I will make more scones from now on.

Enjoy~

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