BUTTERMILK BISCONES

BUTTERMILK BISCONES image

Number Of Ingredients 11

1 1/2 c. unbleached ap flour
1 1/2 c. cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 T. baking powder, aluminum free
3/4 t. fine sea salt
1/4 t. ground cardamom
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 c. dried fruit, such as sour cherries or currants
1 1/2 c. buttermilk, or as needed
1 egg, beaten with pinch of fine sea salt, for egg wash
1/2 c. cardomom sugar

Steps:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom, and whisk until completely incorporated. Add the butter and, working quickly, cut it in with a pastry blender. You should have various-sized pieces of butter, from sandy patches to pea-sized chunks, and some larger bits as well. Add the dried fruit, and toss evenly to distribute. Gradually pour in the buttermilk and genly fold the ingredients until you have a soft dough and there are not bits of flour in the bottom of the bowl. You should still see lumps of butter in the dough; these will give you light and flaky biscones. If the dough seems dry, you may need to add a little more buttermilk. The dough should be moist and slightly sticky. Gently pat down the dough with your hands right in the bowl until it seems like a loaf of bread. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, arranging them about 1 inch apart so that the biscones have room to rise and puff up. Lightly tap down the tops of the biscones. Brush the tops of the biscones liberally with egg wash. Sprinkly with cardamom sugar or sanding sugar. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through for even baking, until the biscones are lightly golden and fully baked. Serve warm or at room temperature.