Orange Spice Scones With Kefir Glaze

cambowma's Note:

These sweetly spiced scones were inspired by the holiday tradition of making orange and clove pomanders. Not too sugary, they’re the perfect partner for a hot cup of coffee or tea. We used Lifeway Plain Kefir. To cut out some fat and calories from this recipe, replace a half cup of butter with unsweetened applesauce. This will make the dough a little loose, so we recommend chilling it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before rolling and cutting it. Please note that this will also result in a scone with a slightly chewier texture than the all-butter version. From Lifeway.net

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
• 2 organic oranges, zested and juiced (reserve juice for glaze)
• 2 1/4 cups plain kefir

Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons plain kefir

Directions:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in the orange zest and create a well in the center of the mixture.
2. Pour in the kefir and gently stir until the dough comes together.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface – we like to tape some plastic wrap down to the counter first, then sprinkle on some flour and use that as the surface, it cuts cleaning time down a lot! Press the dough into an 11” x 7” rectangle, about 1” thick.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut the rectangle in half so you have two 5.5” x 7” pieces, and then cut each of those halves in half in the same direction. You’ll have eight 3.5” x 2.5” rectangles. Cut each of those diagonally so you end up with 16 triangles.
5. Place the triangles onto your prepared baking sheets and cover them with plastic wrap. Freeze them for about 2 hours. (Once frozen, these will keep for up to two weeks in your freezer. Make them ahead of time & freeze if you plan on having house guests!).
6. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake the scones for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pans half way through. When they’re done, they will be golden, and flecked with brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.
7. To make the glaze: Whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together until smooth, add kefir and whisk until incorporated. Dip the top of each scone into the glaze, our pour glaze over the top of scones. Let the glaze set for a few minutes before serving.