Recipe: Bear Moon Bakery Golden Raisin Oatmeal Scones

BEAR MOON BAKERY GOLDEN RAISIN OATMEAL SCONES

4 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, preferably organic, such as Heartland Mills
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups rolled oats, preferably organic
1/2 cup buttermilk, plus a few more tablespoons for brushing on top
Sugar, for sprinkling (regular sugar, or turbinado sugar, also called Sugar in the Raw or coarse sugar)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the orange juice over the raisins and set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Work the cold butter into the dry ingredients with fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. (A few larger pieces of butter are fine - they add to the flakiness.)

Add the raisin/orange juice mixture and the oats. Stir with a fork to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir just until the dough gathers in a ball. (If the dough appears a little dry, add a teaspoon or so more buttermilk.) Do not overwork the dough!

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough into a round about 1 inch tall and 8 inches across. Cut the round into 8 wedges. Place on a parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheet. Brush lightly with buttermilk and top with sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, just until the top is lightly golden.

Makes 8 scones
Source: Paula Hayward in the San Antonio Express-News, Tuesday, Apr 25, 2000