Baking Season Begins

Although we're still experiencing 90 and 100 degree days here in the Phoenix area, mornings and some evenings are finally cool enough for serious cooking and baking.  My new oven seems to run about 25 degrees cooler than the last one I had, so I'm trying to adjust to that.

When my sister and I were children, one of the books our father used to read to us was about a squirrel who liked to bake for his friends.  I don't remember the plot of the book or even the squirrel's name, but I do remember that he made lemon muffins with hazelnuts which sounded absolutely delicious to me.  I've never tasted a commercial lemon and hazelnut muffin, and my own experiments in that direction have so far failed to produce the bright, tart lemon flavor I've been hoping for, but since I now have my own lemon tree - and a nearby grocery story that carries chopped hazelnuts - I'll keep experimenting.

In the absence of a successful muffin recipe, this morning I made these lemon and blueberry scones for breakfast.  The blueberries are the stars here with the hint of lemon in a supporting role; for a stronger lemon flavor, add some fresh lemon zest to the dough.

Lemon Yogurt Scones with Fresh Blueberries

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup Eggbeaters egg substitute (or 1 beaten egg)
6 ounces Yoplait lemon burst yogurt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.  Cut in the butter.  Add the blueberries, egg, and yogurt and blend to make a very soft dough.  Form into rough 2" balls (they should look like drop scones) and place them about 1 1/2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until the scones are puffy and golden.  Eat warm with butter or cool on a wire rack.  Makes about 9 scones.

If you want a sugar crust on the scones, brush the top of the dough with milk and sprinkle with sugar before baking.


"Live long and eat muffins." ~Jackie at MuppetCentral.com