1½ Cups All Purpose Flour
1½ Cups Yellow Cornmeal, Stone Ground Medium
1/3 Cup Sugar
2½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
8. Ounces Cold Unsalted Butter, Cut into Small Pieces
1¼ SCANT Cup Buttermilk
¾ Cup Dried Fruit Such as Golden Raisins, Chopped Apricots or Cranberries, Optional
½ Stick (2 Oz) Unsalted Butter, Melted for Brushing
¼ Cup Sugar for Dusting
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in the middle. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper or silpat sheets.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the cold butter and with a pastry cutter or your fingertips (I prefer using my finger tips) and work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles very coarse cornmeal. Some large lumps of butter are ok as this helps make the scones flaky. Add the dried fruit and toss to combine.
Pour in the buttermilk, and mix with the fork only until the ingredients are just moistened. The dough will be soft.
Bring dough together with your hands and very gently knead on a lightly floured surface for a couple of minutes.
Divide dough into two pieces and, with your hands, gently flatten out each piece into ½ inch rounds. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Cut into 6 triangles and place onto prepared half sheet pans or cookie sheets.
Bake for 15 – 18 minutes or until they just begin to get a little color. Be careful. You don’t want the bottoms to burn.
Transfer the scones to a cooling rack and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve either warm or at room temperature with Sweet Butter and Strawberry Jam.
