Orange Poppyseed Scones
, Updated Jan 18, 2021
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These Orange Poppyseed Scones are fragrant, slightly sweet and absolutely wonderful for breakfast or afternoon tea with a little marmalade.
Love baking? Try my savour Hazelnut and Stilton Scones
A few weeks ago I was invited by ao.com to attend a blogging event. With a theme like ‘Afternoon Tea Delights’ and the promise of Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite there was simply no way I could refuse.
We then got our hands dirty making scones with John who is both extremely likeable and clearly passionate about scones (and baking in general, obviously).
John had some great scone making tips – the most important being to avoid handling the dough too much. Working the dough will develop the gluten in the flour and you will end up with tough scones!
I put all the scone know-how to good use once I got home to create these wonderful Orange poppyseed scones.
They are fragrant, slightly sweet and absolutely wonderful for breakfast or afternoon tea with a little orange or apricot jam. My husband ate three in quick succession and I am pretty confident you will love them too.
HOW TO MAKE SCONES
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Preheat the oven to 220C | 430 F. Line a large tray with baking paper.
Put the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, poppy seeds and orange zest in a large bowl and mix together. Add the cubed butter and rub with your fingers until mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice and egg in a measuring jug. Add a third to the flour mixture and use a scraper (or spoon) to mix together gently. If the mixture is too dry add a little more yoghurt. Only use as much yoghurt as you need for the dough to hold together.
Dust your worktop with flour and tip the scone mix onto it. Shake off any dry excess and pat the dough into a rectangle at least 4cm (1 1/2 inch) high.
Use a floured fluted cutter to cut out the scones and place on the tray, spaced slightly apart. Gather the dough scraps, gently pat into shape and repeat until you have used all the dough.
Cover the scones with cling film and rest at room temperature for half an hour (optional). Glaze the scones with a little egg wash and bake for 10-18 minutes (depending on their size) until risen and golden.
Remove from the oven and cover with a damp tea towel for 10 minutes before serving. Split open and slather with butter and a little jam.
Orange poppyseed scones
Ingredients
- 250 g (2 cups) plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 75 g (⅓ cup) sugar I used golden caster
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 oranges, zest only
- 50 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter cold, cubed
- 125 g (½ cup) natural yoghurt or sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk to glaze
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220C | 430 F. Line a large tray with baking paper.
- Put the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, poppy seeds and orange zest in a large bowl and mix together.
- Add the cubed butter and rub with your fingers until mix resembles coarse sand.
- Mix the yoghurt, lemon juice and egg in a measuring jug.
- Add a third to the flour mixture and use a scraper (or spoon) to mix together gently. If the mixture is too dry add a little more yoghurt. Only use as much yoghurt as you need for the dough to hold together.
- Dust your worktop with flour and tip the scone mix onto it. Shake off any dry excess and pat the dough into a rectangle at least 4cm (1 ½ inch) high.
- Use a floured fluted cutter (mine was fairly small) to cut out the scones and place on the tray, spaced slightly apart.
- Gather the dough scraps, gently pat into shape and repeat until you have used all the dough.
- Cover the scones with cling film and rest at room temperature for half an hour (optional).
- Glaze the scones with a little egg wash and bake for 10-18 minutes (depending on their size) until risen and golden.
- Remove from the oven and cover with a damp tea towel for 10 minutes before serving. Split open and slather with butter and a little jam.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
These look lovely and I am hoping to try making them. But I’m confused by the recipe. It says to add “a third” of the yogurt / egg / lemon juice mixture into the batter. Then what do we do with the other two thirds? I would appreciate clarification. Thanks!
Hi Janet – thanks for your comment. What I meant is you need to only add enough of the yoghurt mixture so the dough holds together. Start by adding a third and gradually add a little more but you might not need to add it all. When you tip your dough onto your worktop its best if it is a little dry as gently patting /kneading it together usually is enough. You don’t want to the mix to be too wet
Could I make these with 2 cups regular flour instead of 1 cup bread flour and 1 cup regular?
Yes you can Hannah : )
Great, thank you very much! 🙂 Will be trying these this weekend!
I love anything orange flavoured, You posted this on my birthday – if only we'd known each other then!!
Look perfect for afternoon tea.