Glazed Orange Scones

Ever since our return to Crete, Liberty and I have been cooking up some of our favourite recipes. I love getting up extra early to bake something hot and fresh from the oven, especially when it's windy and rainy and cold outside, which isn't often, here, so we jump at the opportunity when we can (not that we need one, of course!)

While in Toronto, we lived across the street from a Panera Bread Bakery Cafe, and it wasn't that long before we were addicted to many of their wonderful sweets and one in particular: their orange scones.

A younger, prettier, slimmer version of me, with blue eyes, but never mind!

So, naturally, when Crete feels like Canada on those windy and rainy and cold days, we seriously CRAVE these citrus goodies! In fact, I've been dreaming about them from the time we got here. And let's be honest, when a girl's craving orange scones, oranges, (of which I have plenty) just don't do the trick, although they do do wonders for the scones named after them.

source

With no Panera Bread on the island, (or in the whole of Europe, for that matter), I still needed access to their scones, so I googled 'copycat Panera Bread orange scones recipe'. I clicked onto the first result that came up, a blog called My Baking Addiction. After reading the recipe, the comments/reviews, and customizing it, I quickly got to work.

 

 

Ingredients:

For the Scones

• 1/3 cup sugar
• zest of two medium oranges
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used 2% Greek yoghurt)*
• 1 large egg

For the Glaze

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; melted (I used 1 tbsp)*
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 
• (I also added 1/2 tsp orange zest)* 

   

  Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar and orange zest; mix with your fingertips until the sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.
3. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and egg until smooth.
5. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. The dough will be sticky first, but as you press, the dough will come together.
6. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.
7. In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip. 
8. (I halved the ingredients for the glaze, as I found them sweet enough).*

Notes:

• Scones store well in an airtight container for up to two days.

*My alterations

While they were baking, Liberty was pleasantly awakened by their appetizing buttery/orange-y aroma, and soon she was floating down the staircase, in a dreamlike state. She couldn't believe that I had successfully replicated our favourite scones!   These, my friends, are even BETTER than the product they were inspired by. Please try them; you will not be disappointed. What are you baking these days?

Thanks for visiting

and happy weekend!

xoxo

Poppy 

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