Blueberry and Buttermilk Scones

32 Replies

Blueberry and Buttermilk Scones @ NancyC

Have you ever been to an afternoon tea? I’ve been to two–one was at a hotel and the other was at a bed and breakfast. They were both such a treat! Having tea with friends and tasting fancy little tea sandwiches, cakes, scones, and pastries was such a wonderful break in the day.

51AHe0DsRfL._SX416_BO1,204,203,200_My tea time memories came to mind as I was looking through my review copy of Afternoon Tea at Home by Will Torrent. Just looking at the cover photo will make you want to treat yourself to a special tea time or host your own afternoon tea!

The book has a wide selection of recipes–scones, spreads, tarts, cakes, tea sandwiches, cookies–everything you could ever want for tea time. And there are beautiful full-color photos of the recipes.

I decided to try the Blueberry and Buttermilk Scones since I had already been thinking about making some scones. The book also includes instructions for making Honeycomb Butter to serve along with these scones, but I just made the scones. I really liked them–they’re slightly sweet and moist, with lots of blueberries. I’ve had scones before that were too dry, but I thought the texture of these was just right!

BLUEBERRY AND BUTTERMILK SCONES from Afternoon Tea at Home

Makes 16 small scones

  • 2 3/4 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 stick butter (125 g), chilled and diced
  • generous 1/3 cup (75 g) granulated sugar (also called caster sugar)
  • 2/3 to 3/4 cup (175-200 ml) buttermilk (I used 3/4 cup)
  • 1 1/4 cup (150 g) fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 2 Tablespoons whole milk
  • 2 Tablespoons turbinado or demerara sugar (these are raw, unrefined sugars; you can substitute granulated sugar if you don’t have these)

Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C). Note: I also lined a baking sheet with parchment paper for the scones.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled, diced butter and rub into the dry ingredients using your hands (I found it easier to use a pastry blender rather than my hands). When the mixture resembles sand and there are only very small pieces of butter remaining, add the granulated sugar and mix to combine.

Make a well in the middle of the mixture, add the buttermilk and blueberries and stir to combine using a rubber spatula. One the dough starts to come together, use your hands to form a rough ball.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Very lightly knead for about 30 seconds to bring the dough into an almost smooth ball but do not overwork the dough. Cut in half and flatten each half into a round disc each about 6 1/4 inches (16 cm) in diameter. Using a long, sharp knife cut each disc into 8 triangular wedge shapes.

Arrange the wedges on the prepared baking sheets and brush the tops with a little milk, scatter with turbinado sugar and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until well-risen and golden.

Cool on a wire rack and serve slightly warm with butter or honey butter.

These scones would be great not only for tea time but for breakfast or brunch, too!

Have you been to an afternoon tea? Or hosted one?

Linked to Fiesta Friday, Weekend Potluck, Inspire Me Monday. Show and Share, Create It Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things.

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32 thoughts on “Blueberry and Buttermilk Scones”

  1. Christy

    When my daughter was little, a friend of mine hosted an afternoon tea for us and her neighbor’s daughter and mom. It was such a sweet afternoon treat, and the girls dressed up and had a blast. Sweet memories. I may have to check out the book!

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  2. Lily

    Looks delicious Nancy and I love afternoon tea. I have 2 wonderful tea houses near my town and they serve the most tasty scones. Yours look just as good. Thanks for sharing and happy FF!

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  3. Fae's Twist & Tango

    – Drinking tea and afternoon ‘tea time’ is also quite a part of Persian culture. I had the pleasure of attending many ‘high noons’ and the most memorable one was when we were in Hong Kong at the Peninsula Hotel’s ‘The Lobby Afternoon Tea’ (http://hongkong.peninsula.com/en/fine-dining/the-lobby-afternoon-tea). The live music makes it even more special.
    – In fact, I was introduced to scones in high noon tea time. Like yours, I always found them very satisfying, especially with butter. 🙂

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  4. Shari

    That sounds like a beautiful book with great recipes, Nancy! I love scones, especially blueberry. Teas are so much fun. Thanks for the book recommendation and yummy recipe!

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    1. nancyc Post author

      You could probably substitute dairy-free milk like almond milk or soy milk for the buttermilk and the milk you brush on top of the scones. Hope that works well for you!

      Liked by 1 person

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  11. tentimestea

    I’ve always loved afternoon tea. It’s been a while–there was a place I used to go every summer with my family on the West Coast and they had a tea room with a view of the sea. Every time we went I’d insist that we have afternoon tea, and I always ordered a whole set for myself (whereas my mum and my older sister would share…I was such a glutton!). It was one of my favourite things, though they stopped serving tea there years ago. I will have to take a closer look at that book–it looks beautiful and makes me want to host my own afternoon tea (but with a much more disappointing view!). The scones look sweet and delicious Nancy! I always think of scones as too dry, so the moistness of these is very appealing 🙂

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    1. nancyc Post author

      The afternoon teas you experienced with a view of the sea sound so lovely! What a nice memory! Since these scones are moist, I think you’d really like them! 🙂

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  12. thebetterbaker11

    Oh these look so tasty. I have enjoyed an afternoon tea two times…SO special! Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Weekend Potluck…and thanks much for the link back too. Hope to see you again next week.

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  13. Bam's Kitchen

    Look so soft and delicious. I really would love to sink my teeth into one of these whilst there are still hot! Afternoon Tea is a really big thing here in Hong Kong, must be those 100 years that the UK ruled. I must admit, I could really start to get used to that..

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  16. Karen

    I’ve been to teas at several hotels that were very elegant and I have a friend who gives tea parties all the time. The next time I’m invited, I’ll bake of some of these t take as a surprise.

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  17. sbruno701

    I’ve only been to Bridal Teas before – a southern thing! My girls love scones, however, and these look great. Can’t wait to try them.

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