CANDIED ORANGE AND GOLDEN RAISIN SCONES

Candied Orange and Golden Raisin Scones image

These scones are crisp and golden with a light, flaky interior. The fruit offers a slightly chewy contrast. Orange zest and Grand Marnier flavor the scones. Serve them with butter and tea.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Breakfast & Brunch Recipes Bread Recipes

Time P1DT50m

Yield Makes 16

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced candied orange peel
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
Coarse salt
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg, separated
Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Steps:

Stir together candied orange peel, raisins, orange zest, and liqueur in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 day.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flours together in a large bowl. Transfer half to a food processor, and add butter. Pulse to cut in butter (the largest pieces should be the size of small peas). Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt to remaining flour in bowl; whisk to combine. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, work in flour-butter mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Whisk together cream, whole egg, and egg yolk. Make a well in the center of flour mixture, and pour in half of cream mixture. Draw dry ingredients over wet ingredients with a rubber spatula, scraping bottom of bowl to incorporate all dry crumbs. Add remaining cream mixture, and gently mix just until incorporated (do not overwork dough).
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and press dough into a 6-by-9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle dried-fruit mixture evenly over dough. With a short side facing you, fold rectangle into thirds, as you would a letter. Rotate dough a quarter-turn clockwise. Roll out dough to a 6-by-9-inch rectangle, folding and rotating once more.
Pat dough into a 1 1/4-inch-thick rectangle with floured hands, and cut out as many rounds as possible with a floured 2-inch round biscuit cutter. Gather scraps, reroll once, and cut out more rounds (you should have a total of 16).
Place scones 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Lightly beat egg white, and brush tops; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool on sheets. Serve warm or at room temperature.