Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
2 Tbsp. dry orange peel, whole
7 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
In an electric mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, orange peel and orange zest. Add the cold butter and blend at the lowest speed until the mixture is the size of peas. Combine the eggs, milk and orange juice, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy!
Place the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Dust a rolling pin and your hands with flour and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Dust a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter with flour and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.
Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with orange sugar (see below), and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Homemade Orange Sugar
Combine 1/2 cup of sugar with the zest of 1 whole orange. Once you have all the zest from the orange, chop the zest into smaller pieces. In a blender or food processor, add about half the sugar and all the orange zest, pulsing until the zest is ground finely and fully dispersed in the sugar. Then add remaining sugar, pulsing again until mixed well.
Cooks Note: Dry peel is hard to chew so please soak the orange peel in water until softened before adding it to the flour mixture (without the water).
