Earl Grey & Honey Blueberry Scones

I’ve spent the last two days completely lost in old seasons of the Great British Bake Off. It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with the show, and it’s literally my go-to whenever I find myself in a funk or at a bit of a loss. Despite having seen every series, watching the bakers work their way through each challenge excites me. I am completely invested in every episode and every baker despite the fact that I know the outcome or that some of these episodes are seven years old.

It felt like a fitting choice of entertainment for me this week though as I worked on these Early Grey & Honey Blueberry Scones. First, Earl Grey is quintessentially British, but more than that, these scones are what I consider a British-American hybrid. They’re part British in the way that they have a subtle sweetness–beyond the sugar on top, the only sugar in these comes from the honey and the fruit itself–and lean more towards the light, fluffy interior of a biscuit, and part American in the way that they incorporate fresh or frozen fruit–I threw some dried blueberries in too, because why not?!–and have that sweet, crisp, sugar-sprinkled top that just screams ‘coffee shop pastry.’

The part that I am potentially most excited about with these scones is the fact that they’re folded to create height in layers. I first saw layered scones on Sarah Kieffer’sInstagram feed what feels like forever ago and I haven’t stopped thinking about how incredible they look. I mean…look at these!

You can see where the dough is folded over itself and where the cold butter melts to create a flaky exterior and layers inside. I know that it may seem daunting when you look at the instructions below, but it’s really not. It’s a quite easy and extremely satisfying process.

You start by whisking the dry ingredients together. At this point, I usually brew my tea as well just to give it a head start on cooling so that the warm liquid won’t melt the butter once it’s added in later on. These Earl Grey & Honey Blueberry Scones use brewed Earl Grey tea as well as dry tea leaves tossed into the bowl with the flour to make the flavor more noticeable. I also added malt powder, a bit of cardamom, and a tiny taste of nutmeg to round out the flavor of these scones. It’s subtle, but everything mixes together seamlessly to add to the flavor without standing out when they’re not the star.

Back to making the scones though. Once you whisk together the dry ingredients, toss in your cold cubes of butter. You’re going to want to rub these in with your fingertips (or use a pastry cutter if you have one and prefer to go that route) until the butter is covered in flour and only pea-sized pieces remain.

Whisk together the wet ingredients–tea, buttermilk, and honey–until the honey is completely combined and pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Using a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients in by running the spatula around the bowl and through the center. Your dough will be shaggy. Use your hands to bring it together and, on a lightly floured surface, knead it about 4-6 times until no more dry bits fall off. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Now comes the fun part! You roll out the dough and fold the bottom third over the middle, then the top third over that so that it looks like the photo above. Rotate the dough 90° so that the folded ends are away from you, and repeat the process once. Chill the dough for another 10 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding process one more time and then roll out the dough until you have a 16″ x 8″ rectangle. Sprinkle the fresh/frozen and dried blueberries over the dough, being careful not to crush them. Roll into a cylinder from the long edge. (Of course, I wanted to get a process photo of incorporating the berries, but by the time I remembered that intent, I had already rolled them in).

Using your rolling pin, lightly roll out the dough until you have a rectangle about 18″ x 4″ and 1/2″ thick. Cut off the rugged top and bottom bits. And then cut the rectangle in half. Cut the halves in half again, and the cut the quarters in half diagonally.

Line the triangles on a parchment lined baking tray and chill for another ten minutes in the freezer. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven and mix together 1/4 cup buttermilk and 1 Tbsp of honey. Remove the scones from the freezer and brush with the honey and buttermilk mixture, sprinkle over the top with raw sugar, and bake.

These will puff and rise and will turn out utterly beautiful. Not to mention, they taste pretty darn amazing.

Making these scones while watch the bakers tackle pastry reminded me of just how much I really enjoy rolling and folding dough so that you can see the flakes and layers in the final bake. (Fun fact: I am currently listening/watching the GBBO as I type this post up…it’s been all weekend, non-stop. I have no regrets about that).

Honestly, the entire process for these moves pretty quickly. Yes, there is chilling time because you don’t want the scones to warm up and the butter to get soft, but take that time to wash the dishes in the sink, and before you know it, it’s time to start rolling out the dough!

There’s a small amount of patience required for these, but sometimes a patient bake is the best bake. Not to mention…you end up with some pretty attractive scones that will make your mouth water as you can smell them in the oven!

Print Recipe

Earl Grey & Honey Blueberry Scones

These Earl Grey & Honey Blueberry Scones are a British & American scone hybrid--not too sweet, they have a light and fluffy interior and a crunchy, sugared upper crust. These scones have been folded and rolled to create layers, giving them extra height and an extra impressive appearance. They're perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a mid-day snack when you want a hot drink or something sweet without too much of a sugar kick. Yields 8 scones

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

21-25 minutes

Passive Time

30 minutes

Servings

scones

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 sachet Earl Grey tea leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp malted milk powder
• 1/2 cup salted butter cold and cut into cubes
• 2 sachets Earl Grey tea steeped in 1/4 cup hot water for 5 minutes and cooled
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp buttermilk plus 1/4 cup extra for brushing the tops
• 3 Tbsp honey plus 1 Tbsp extra for brushing the tops
• 2/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup raw sugar for sprinkling on top

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 21-25 minutes Passive Time 30 minutes Servings scones Ingredients 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 sachet Earl Grey tea leaves 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cardamom 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 Tbsp malted milk powder 1/2 cup salted butter cold and cut into cubes 2 sachets Earl Grey tea steeped in 1/4 cup hot water for 5 minutes and cooled 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp buttermilk plus 1/4 cup extra for brushing the tops 3 Tbsp honey plus 1 Tbsp extra for brushing the tops 2/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 1/4 cup dried blueberries 1/4 cup raw sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Earl Grey tea leaves from one sachet cut open, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, and malted milk powder. Add in the cubes of butter and, using your fingertips, rub in the butter until coated in flour and about the size of peas.
2. In a measuring cup, mix together the 1/4 strong Earl Grey tea (steep 2 sachets in Earl Grey for 5 minutes and allow to cool fully), 1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp buttermilk, and 3 Tbsp honey. Mix until the honey is fully combined with the wet ingredients.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl where you've mixed your butter into the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold until the dough is just combined. It will be a little dry and shaggy in appearance.
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead about 4-6 times by folding the dough in half and turning 90 degrees until the flour is fully incorporated. Flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the freezer and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to a 12" x 6" rectangle. Fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough up toward the middle. Then fold the top 1/3 toward the middle so that the all thirds overlap--similar to an envelope or folding a piece of paper into thirds. Rotate the dough 90° and repeat the rolling and folding process. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and return to the freezer to chill for another 10 minutes.
6. Return the dough to your lightly floured surface so that one of the open ends is facing you. Roll to a 12" x 4" rectangle and repeat the process of folding into thirds. Rotate the dough 90° and roll into a 12" x 8" rectangle.
7. Scatter the blueberries and dried blueberries over the dough. Carefully press the blueberries into the dough while being careful not to burst any of them. Using a bench scraper or a spatula, carefully roll the dough along the long side until you have a cylinder to help incorporate the berries. Some might pop out of the top or the bottom--just toss them back inside the dough if that happens. Place the cylinder seam side down and lightly roll it into an 18" x 4" rectangle. Your dough should be about 1/2" thick in height.
8. Carefully slice off the rough edges along the top and the bottom and dispose of them. Cut the rectangle in half so that you have two smaller rectangles. Cut these two rectangles in half again so that you have four equal sized rectangles in front of you. Use the knife to cut each rectangle in half on the diagonal. Place on a parchment lined baking tray and allow to chill in the freezer for ten minutes.
9. While the scones are in the freezer, set the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F. In a glass or a measuring cup, stir together 1/4 cup buttermilk and 1 Tbsp honey until the honey is completely mixed in. Once the scones have chilled and the oven has preheated, remove the scones from the freezer. Brush the tops with the honey and buttermilk mixture and sprinkle generously with raw sugar. Bake for 5 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Allow the scones to continue baking for an additional 16-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through until the tops have firmed and are a light golden brown. The scones should peel off the parchment paper easily once baked; the bottoms will be golden brown in color. You may also check with a toothpick inserted into the center of the scone; if it comes out clean, remove the scones from the oven.
10. Allow the scones to cool about ten minutes on the tray before serving or transferring to a cooling rack.

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