as promised, here is my recipe for the best fresh peach scones this side of Georgia.

I’ve made these scones with fresh berries, as well. and my daughter prefers them sans-fruit with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top.

either way, they have a crunchy, sweet top with a soft, flaky, buttery pastry beneath.

(all these delectable adjectives are making my mouth water!)

Fresh Peach Buttermilk Scones

ingredient list:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1TB+2tsp. baking powder
1/2tsp. salt
a stick and a half of butter (if using salted, only add 1/4tsp. salt to recipe.)
1 egg
1 cup milk (soured w/a TB vinegar) or Buttermilk.

3 small to medium peaches, diced

the best way to ensure flaky scones, is by chilling all your ingredients.

I even chill my pastry board, rolling pin and pastry blender.

once everything has chilled for a good hour or two,
pull all the ingredients out of the refrigerator.
leave your board and utensils in the fridge.

cube your butter and set aside.

whisk the baking powder and salt into your flour.

blend until pea-sized lumps begin to form.

lightly whisk the egg with a fork.

add your egg to your milk and stir.

pour the egg/milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

pull your pastry board from the refrigerator and sprinkle lightly with flour.

knead quickly into a firm ball.
you don’t want to handle the dough too long because your butter will warm up.
(the cold butter and kneading process is what forms your light, flaky layers.)

cut your ball of dough in half.

roll out each half to about 1/2 an inch thickness.

cut into sixths.
six-ths.
six-es.
(wow, that’s kinda hard to say.)
cut into six parts.

line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat and place six scones on the sheet.
brush the top of the scones with an egg wash.

egg wash:
whisk together another egg with a splash of water.

bake at 400 for 12-14 mins. or until the tops just begin to golden.

pull out your scones and sprinkle the top of each one with a pinch of flour.
this will keep the top of your scone nice and crunchy when the peaches let their juices flow during their baking process.

pile your diced peaches on top of your scones.

don’t be shy, now.
pile ’em up nice and tall.

sprinkle the top with course sprinkling sugar.
(for obvious reasons!)
a crunchy, sweet top. YUM!

your scones are already fully baked at this point.
you’re just cooking the peaches and sugar on top. the flour you sprinkled on top will combine with the peach juices and bake itself beneath the fruit.
this is the best way I have found to keep the scone from completely losing it’s will to live beneath all that thick, juicy fruit.

place scones back in the oven on the very top rack setting.
bake for another 5 minutes.

pull from oven and cool.
or enjoy piping hot with whipped cream.

don’t worry about the fact that you’re baking a dozen of these at a time.
they won’t last.
you’ll turn around and the entire lot will have magically disappeared.

so be sure to eat one or two right away, fresh from the oven before anyone notices.
(it’s called a summer fling for a reason!)