Scones

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the two sticks of frozen butter in half to yield four pieces. Refrigerate two of the pieces for use at another time. Take the remaining two pieces of frozen butter and grate 8 of the 10 tablespoons of butter into a bowl using the largest holes on a hand-held grater. Put the grated butter into the freezer. Also, put your fresh fruit into the freezer at this time.

Whisk together the milk and sour cream and put into the refrigerator. Whisk flour, ½ cup sugar, baking poweder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the frozen butter pieces and toss the mixture together with your hands until thoroughly coated. DO NOT OVER MIX!!

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined. Scrape the dough onto a liberally floured work surface. (The dough will not hold together at this point--and if is does, you have mixed it too much!) With liberally floured hands, knead the dough gently and bring it together into a ragged ball. You should only “need” 6-8 kneads to do this.

Make sure you have plenty of flour on your surface to prevent sticking. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough mass into a 12-inch square. Once this is done, fold the dough into thirds like you are folding a letter. Then take the short ends and fold it into thirds again. Lift the dough square onto a plate and put it into the freezer for five minutes.

Take the dough out of the freezer and put it on a well-floured surface (again). Roll it out to a 12-inch square (again). Sprinkle the fruit evenly over the entire surface, and press down gently onto the fruit. Starting from the end nearest you, roll the dough into a log. Lay it seam side down and press it into a 12“x4” rectangle. Using a knife, cut the rectangle in half, then cut each half in half, and then cut each section into two triangles. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake for 18-21 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Once scones are removed from the oven, wait at least 15 minutes to eat them. They need the time to set up and cool slightly. Serve with clotted cream and jam.