Mary Jonnson's Buttermilk Scones

When we lived in San Mateo, Dad took on the project of refurbishing a bike Sister Jonnson had kept in her garage for many, many years. It was a bigger project than he anticipated but he enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to learn more about bike repair. Sister Jonnson was so pleased with the final result and she brought the family some of her buttermilk scones to say thank you. These are a more traditional British style scone as opposed to a "Utah" scone which is typically fried pieces of yeast bread dough.

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup firm, cold, butter (cut into small pieces)
3/4 cup currants (or other dried fruit)
1 tsp grated orange peel
1 cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp cream or milk
cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. At this point, you should cut the butter into small pieces. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour untilit resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in currants (or other dried fruit) and orange peel. Up to this point, can be completed a day ahead but must be refrigerated until ready to continue. Add buttermilk, all at once, to the flour/fruit mixture. Stir with a fork until dough cleans the sides of the bowl. DO NOT OVERMIX. Gather the dough into two balls. One at a time, turn out onto a lightly floured board. Roll or pat gently into 2 1-inch thick circles. Cut into wedges, 6-8 per circle, or cut with round biscuit cutters. Place scones 1 1/2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush tops iwth cream and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired. Bake in a 425 oven for 10-12 minutes or til LIGHTLY browned. Serve warm with butter, jam, lemon curd or just eat plain. They are best served hot!
Yield: 12-16 scones