The second half of summer heralds a rush of locally grown produce. For a cook, it’s an exciting time of year. With so many freshly picked fruits and veggies available, it can be difficult to decide what to cook or bake next.
For the next two weeks peaches are the focus in my kitchen. Although this fruit is absolutely perfect when eaten on its own, it’s also fun to find new ways to serve it, such as these scones. For this recipe you want peaches that are perfectly ripe — nicely sweet but not too soft. The softer the peaches are, the more liquid that adds to your scone. If it happens that your peaches are a bit on the softer side, you can add a little more flour to make the dough less sticky.
These scones are topped with a simple vanilla glaze. If you would rather not add the glaze, I would suggest sprinkling a tablespoon or two of granulated sugar on the scones right before baking. Either way you’ll have a nicely sweet scone full of freshly picked peaches.
Michele Pesula Kuegler has been thinking about food her entire life. Since 2007, the New Hampshire native has been sharing these food thoughts and recipes at her blog, Think Tasty. Visit thinktasty.com to find more of her recipes.
Fresh peach scones
Makes 8
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 cup diced peach*
3/4 cup buttermilk**
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla divided
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Add butter.
Combine butter with dry ingredients using a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingers until the butter is reduced to the size of grains of rice.
Add diced peach to flour mixture, tossing gently.
Whisk buttermilk, egg yolk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl.
Add liquids to dry ingredients; mix until dough forms a ball.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and press into an 8-inch round.
Cut into 8 wedges.
Transfer wedges to a parchment paper-lined, rimmed cookie sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the scones are crusty on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
While cooling, combine powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk.
Top each scone with vanilla glaze.
Notes
*I prefer to keep the skin on the peaches in this recipe. You can peel them if you prefer.
**In place of buttermilk, you can pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a measuring cup and fill with milk to equal 3/4 cup. Allow to sit for 2 minutes before adding it to the recipe.
Photo: Peach scones. Courtesy photo.
