Week 3 and Baked! Vol. 3: Lemon Blueberry Scones

When we last spoke I was gearing up for week 3 and our first Anatomy exam.  I survived!  It was great to reach the first milestone of having a test to be able to learn more about what they will be like and how I should be studying.  I am moving forward from here.

Summer term involves good news and bad news.  First, the good news: while Anatomy consists of 4 tests, Pathophysiology only has 3.  The bad news: while the exams will not be doubled up in a single week (until we get to the end of the term that is...) this means that we had an Anatomy exam this past week, a Pathophysiology exam this coming week, and then an Anatomy exam the week after that.  Vastly preferable to having exams for 2 classes in the same week, but it's going to be a little bit of a marathon for a while.

Having our Anatomy test first gave a fresh start as we move into the lower limb, as well as some good perspective.  Now that I'm studying for Pathophysiology I long for the concreteness of learning bones, nerves, vasculature, muscles, and their function.  Depending on how Thursday goes (as well as switching gears back to Anatomy after Thursday), maybe I'll change my mind.

Yesterday was Father's Day, and my special treatment was being able to study all day.  It was great, and set me up to be able to take the evening off.

On Saturday I made some scones to take to brunch with some friends.  They were appropriately summery - blueberries and lemon zest on the inside, lemon glaze on top.  The real stars were some amazing quiche prepared by our lovely hostess, though.

Baked! Vol. 3: Lemon Blueberry Scones

Adapted from Buttermilk Scones from Alexandra's Kitchen

The original recipe yields 12 rolled-and-cut scones, but my dough came out a bit sticky so I did dropped scones instead, yielding 17 scones that were each about 1/2 cup.  Use buttermilk if you have on hand, or soured milk as indicated below.  I used the zest of 1 smallish lemon, but I would happily use a larger lemon next time or just do 2 lemons.  The tarter the better, I say.

Yield: 12 monster scones (or 17 moderately-sized scones)

4-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup white sugar

1-1/4 teaspoon salt

zest of 1 lemon

1 cup + 1 Tablespoon butter, cold cubed

1-1/2 scant cups milk

1 heaping Tablespoon lemon juice

1 pint fresh blueberres

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

juice of 1 lemon, to desired consistency

1. Preheat oven to 400º and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  You may only need 1, but better to be safe.  Combine milk and lemon juice.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and lemon zest.
3. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender, a fork, your hands (as I did, though I maybe didn't end up with pieces as big as I should have), or a food processor (which I would use if I did it again).
4. Add enough soured milk and stir to get the desired consistency - if you want to do dropped scones it can be a wetter dough, so use all the milk; if you want to do rolled-and-cut scones you should start with a little less than all the milk and see if you need more to get a texture that is not too wet and sticky.
5. If rolling: separate the dough into two equal parts and roll each out on a floured surface into a 1/2"-thick circle.  Cut each round into 6 equal pieces and arrange on lined baking sheets.  If scooping: scoop dough out to desired size (I got 17 scones that were each about 1/2 cup of dough) onto lined baking sheets.
6. Bake for 25-35 minutes, though mine were looking nicely browned at close to 20 minutes so I took them out.
7. Combine powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to get the desired consistency.  I wanted a glaze that was light and fairly runny, so this meant most of the juice of a small lemon.  Glaze scones when they are cool.