Ingredients: 

3/4 cup Zante currants

4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very cold

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated

 

Topping:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Large crystal sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter a baking sheet.

 

To make the dough, first combine the currants with warm water to cover in a small bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes until the currants are plumped. Drain well.

 

While the currants are plumping, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl if making by hand or into the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugar and salt and stir to mix with a wooden spoon. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and scatter the cubes over the dry ingredients. If you are mixing by hand, use a pastry blender or 2 table knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. If you are using the mixer, pulse on and off so that you don’t break down the butter too much. You want to end up with a coarse mixture with pea-sized lumps of butter visible.

 

Add the buttermilk all at once along with the lemon zest and currants and mix gently with the wooden spoon by hand or on low speed if using the mixer. Continue to mix just until the dough holds together. If the mixture seems dry, add a little more buttermilk. You still want to see some of the butter pieces at this point, which all add to the flakiness of the scones once they are baked.

 

Dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Using your hands, pat the dough into a rectangle about 18 inches long, 5 inches wide and 11/2 inches thick. Brush the top with the melted butter and then sprinkle with the sugar. Using a chef’s knife, cut the dough into 12 triangles. Transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheet.

 

Bake the scones until the tops are lightly browned, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately Yields 12 scones.