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I still remember the first time I saw and tasted scones. I was eyeing the beautiful display of scones while ordering my bagel, contemplating if I should spend my extra couple of dollars on a breakfast pastry. I was only about 12 years old at that time and had never experienced such a pastry. I gave in and bought the treat, only to be sadly disappointed. The pastry was incredibly dry and bland. From then on, I had no desire to ever buy this baked good. Fast forward many, many years later, and for some reason, I found myself craving a scone. With leftover buttermilk in the fridge and strawberry season still in action, I decided to whip up some strawberry basil buttermilk scones. Boy, have I been missing out! No longer am I objected to scones - these are a life changer!
Recipe
Strawberry Basil Buttermilk Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour (444 grams)
- ⅓ cup sugar (67 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into small chunks (170 grams)
- 1 cup buttermilk (250 ml)
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries (145 grams)
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk, for brushing
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl including flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add butter and use a pastry cutter, a knife, or your hands to mix until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add buttermilk and mix until just combined. Fold in strawberries and basil.
- Lightly dust flour onto work surface. Divide dough in half. Working with one batch at a time, shape dough into a ¾ inch thick circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with other dough.
- Brush tops of scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with corase sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
With this basic buttermilk scone recipe, you can make almost any variation. Other options include dried currants, blueberry rosemary, cheddar, figs, blackberry almond, etc. Use the ingredients you have in your kitchen or whatever fruits are in season.
When adding fruits such as strawberries, make sure not to add too much or else the scones will become soggy. I always use fresh fruits especially since you have to chop the strawberries and that can be difficult with frozen ones.
Add the buttermilk to the butter flour mix, making sure not to overmix the dough. If you work the dough too much, the scones can end up being tough. Fold in the berries and basil and divide the dough into two.
The scones do not rise much when baking so make sure not to roll the dough out too thin. I used my hands to mold the shape since it can be difficult to roll out using a rolling pin.
Brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkled a good amount of coarse sugar on top.
Bake them for about 15-20 minutes or until the tops become golden brown and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. You can also serve the scones with clotted cream if you want to go traditional.
These strawberry basil buttermilk scones are incredible, especially when fresh. They are delightfully moist and with just a touch of sweetness from the sugared tops. The strawberries and basil add freshness to the pastry and make them look as good as they taste. Hands down, the best scones I ever had!
For more breakfast pastry inspiration check out these orange cardamom raisin rolls!
Mary Frances says
I like that you combined strawberry and basil for a sweet-savory twist!
cma0425 says
I had to make these extra special by adding in the basil - and it was definitely a good pairing!
Christopher says
Great recipe with summery flavor. I pulsed the basil up with the sugar, which gave it a more subtle basil flavor, I think.
cma0425 says
Great idea! I'll give that a try next time
Emily says
The notes say that there is not actually sugar in the dough but the recipe says to mix the dry ingredients from flour to baking soda (which includes 1/3 C sugar). Do you add the sugar into the dough or save it for the end? Thanks!
cma0425 says
Sorry about the confusion there - that was an error. You add the 1/3 cup sugar in the dough and sprinkle extra sugar on top of the scones right before baking. I omitted that sentence to clear things up. Thanks for pointing it out!
Mary says
Could you use frozen strawberries with this recipe? How would you change it if you do?
cma0425 says
Yes you can use frozen strawberries. I would make sure to thaw them completely and chop them up a bit before adding it to the dough. Another great option would be to roast the strawberries and make a roasted strawberry buttermilk scone!
Donna says
Has anyone made these without the basil?
cma0425 says
They would still taste great without the basil!
DizzyDi says
I made the strawberry-basil with frozen berries and they were a hit. Going to try blueberry-rosemary today. Need to use all the buttermilk that we got at a dairy for next to nothing due to closures.
Cherry on My Sundae says
So glad to hear that they were a success! Blueberry rosemary sounds absolutely lovely, might need to make those myself.
Bridget says
These scones are the best scones I have ever had in my life! I discovered this recipe because I had buttermilk leftover from a cake I had made and I am sure glad I did!! I have made them 4 times since this quarantine has started!! My husband and anyone else I have shared them with have all raved about how delicious they are! I have shared the recipe with a baking group I am in too and they loved it there as well!! Thanks so much!!
Cherry on My Sundae says
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for the lovely feedback.
Barbara says
I have become obsessed with baking scones and so glad I found this recipe - it is a winner! I like the suggestions for other options to this basic buttermilk scone recipe.
The only change I made was to reduce the salt to 1/2 tsp. I sprinkled Turbinado on top before baking.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe - your description is right on !
Cherry on My Sundae says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the scones Barbara! Thanks for visiting!
Virginia says
These turned out delicious! Nice and fluffy. The strawberry flavor could have come out more, but I suppose that will depend on the quality of strawberries. The basil was nice and subtle.
Wondering if anyone has tips for good amounts for blackberry / black tea flavor? 1c blackberries and maybe a Tbsp loose black tea leaves?
Christine Ma says
I'm glad you enjoyed the scones! I haven't tried that flavor combination of blackberries with tea but if you want to add a tea flavor, I would recommend infusing the buttermilk with the tea leaves so that you don't have actual tea leaves in the scones themselves.