Strawberry and French Thyme Scones
Soft Wheat's Highest Calling
In many regions, strawberries and fresh herbs are two of the first signs of spring. While we typically think of herbs as ingredients in savory cooking, they’re also fantastic additions to sweeter items. In these scones, they add a fragrant, floral note which perfectly complements the sweet strawberries. The strawberries turn jammy in the oven for pockets of flavor, and the buttery scone base is flavorful and tender from the stone-milled soft winter wheat flour.
We use French Thyme for these scones, but most types of woody herbs would be delicious. Try them with rosemary, tarragon, or even sage. The beauty of these scones is in the clarity of the fresh herb’s flavor, so stick to just one variety and let it shine.
The key to making scones is to keep everything cold so the butter doesn’t melt. We start by chilling every component of this recipe, and we return our mixing bowl to the refrigerator frequently to counteract how the warmth of our hands and fingertips raises the temperature of the dough. With scones, working quickly is key. You will need a bench knife for this recipe.
Many scone recipes call for liquid dairy ingredients like sour cream, crème fraîche, or yogurt. But because these products can differ wildly depending on the company making them and the region they’re produced in, we prefer to make our scones with milk. To acidify it slightly and give the baking soda something to react with, we add a teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to the milk. If you already have buttermilk in your refrigerator, you could use that in place of the milk and acid mixture, but there’s really no need to buy buttermilk specifically for this recipe.
