Grapefruit Rosemary Scones

This recipe was inspired by the evocatively delicious cafe Dough Mama in Columbus, OH. It was a place of comfort and refuge for me, especially when I was homesick, because they center love and homey care in their food. My memories of this cafe are fond and they continue to inspire me greatly. To the brilliant minds at Dough Mama: a million thank yous! 

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Grapefruit Rosemary Scones

Course: Dessert

Keyword: scones

Servings: 8

Author: Shawn

Ingredients

For the scones:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp grapefruit zest ~1 large grapefruit
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary finely minced
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter frozen
• ½ cup heavy cream or buttermilk cold, plus extra for brushing scones
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

For the glaze:

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp grapefruit juice
• ½ tbsp grapefruit zest

Instructions

For the scones:

• Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl, add your sugar, grapefruit zest, and rosemary. With clean hands, pinch the grapefruit zest and rosemary with the sugar until they are well mixed. This helps bring out the essential oils in the zest and rosemary, which intensifies the flavor.
• In the same large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together the flour and sugar mixtures until they are well combined.
• Grate the butter into the same bowl, and with a rubber spatula, gently mix the butter and flour together until the pieces of butter are just coated with flour. Place the bowl in the freezer.
• Whisk together the heavy cream or buttermilk, vanilla extract, and egg until they are well incorporated. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until barely combined. There will be some pockets of dry flour, but that is okay– the point is to not overmix!
• Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into an 8” round disc that is about an 1” thick. At this point, you should still see flecks of the grated butter.
• Cut the disc into 8 scones and transfer them onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving them an inch apart. Stick the scones in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, brush the top of the scones with heavy cream or buttermilk.
• Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
• When ready, let them cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and transfer them onto a cooling rack, and let them cool for another 20 minutes. Glaze and serve them at room temperature.

For the glaze:

• As your scones are baking, combine the powdered sugar, grapefruit juice, and zest into a bowl. The glaze should form thick ribbons when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Cover and set aside.
• When your scones are room temperature, use a spoon to glaze the scones. Add about a half tablespoon's worth of glaze in the middle of the scones and use the back of the spoon to evenly spread the glaze.

Notes

It is important that all your ingredients and tools are cold. Cold ingredients create air pockets in the oven, which in turn, make for fluffier and lighter scones. If you have the room in your freezer, put your bowls in there too before you make the scones for extra points. 

Enjoy! <3