Buttermilk and Date scones

I had some buttermilk left in my fridge from making the Salted Caramel Almond Cake so here is a perfect way to use it up. This recipe makes 12 large scones.

12 scones may be a lot when there is only two of you...The best thing about scones is that rather than cooking a whole batch you can freeze the uncooked scones to bake at a later date. I just clear the ice trays from the top rack, lay out some baking paper and place the remaining scones on the paper in the freezer. Leave them overnight and then when they are frozen you can wrap them in cling film or place them in ziplock bags.

When you happen to feel like a freshly baked scone you can just leave them at room temperature for 5 minutes, pop them in the oven and cook them for an extra five minutes and boom! Freshly baked scones straight from your freezer!  It has seriously changed my life.

Buttermilk and Date Scones
300g dates, chopped in half
680g flour
1 T baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
100g white sugar or coconut sugar
1 1/2 tsp flaky salt
255g unsalted very cold butter
375ml buttermilk plus extra for topping

Topping
2 T extra buttermilk
raw sugar or coconut sugar for sprinkling

First, chop your dates in half and cover with boiling water and leave for 10 or so minutes to soften.

While the dates are softening, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the sugar and the salt and stir to combine. Cut the butter into small dice or grate the butter into the bowl. I usually use the tips of my fingers to rub in the butter but you could use a pasty cutter or two knives or even do it gently in the food processor or a stand mixer. You want to end up with a coarse mixture with visible pea sized lumps of butter.

Strain the dates well and add the dates and buttermilk to your dry mixture.
If you were using a stand mixer here I would gently 3/4 incorporate the wet mix and then tip it on the bench and continue by hand. If you used a food processor I would now tip it in to a large bowl and do the next part by hand. What ever you do you want to gently mix the wet ingredients in and not over work them, if the mix seems a little dry add a  touch more buttermilk.

Quickly and gently shape your dough into a 30cm by 12cm rectangle, Brush the top with the extra buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Cut the dough into triangles and transfer the amount you want to cook onto a prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes until the tops are lightly brown.
Serve still warm with good amounts of butter

Makes 12