Linda's Fantabulous Overnight Buttermilk Scones

These are my hubby's favorite scones. He likes them with rasins and I like them with currants or dried cranberries and orange zest. The combinations are endless. Mini chocolate chips are good too! Chopped macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips are yummy and pecans with maple butter can't be beat - just substitute light brown sugar for 1 Tablespoon of the white and mix unsalted butter with a few spoonsful of maple syrup for a wonderful spread! I hope you like them.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 large scones

Ingredients

• 3  cups all-purpose flour, sifted then measured
• 1⁄3 cup white sugar
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, diced and frozen
• 1⁄4 cup solid shortening, diced and frozen (not butter flavored)
• 1  cup  ice cold buttermilk
• 1  egg yolk
• 1  tablespoon buttermilk
• 1  tablespoon  superfine sugar

Directions

1. Whiz flour, white sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in the food processor.
2. Add the butter and shortening and pulse a few times to get pea sized chunks of fat.
3. Add one cup of buttermilk and pulse about 5 times.
4. At this time you may add 1/3 cup of add-ins such as rasins or chopped dates or what you like in any combination. Try not to add more than 1/2 cup of add-ins or the dough may not want to co-operate.
5. Turn out onto a nonstick (such as a silpat) and very lightly floured surface, bring the dough together and form into a disc. Try not to handle too much. When your disc is formed it should be about 1 1/2 inches high.
6. Cut into 8 pieces and place on a parchment lined half - sheet pan making sure they do not touch.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator overnight.
8. In the morning: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
9. When the oven is hot, beat egg yolk and one tablespoon buttermilk together and brush tops of scones. Dust with a little superfine sugar if you like.
10. Bake for about 15 minutes. This is a convection bake time so you may need to add a minute or two for a conventional oven.
11. I won't put the endless combinations of add-ins here but you get the idea - add what you like and enjoy!
12. Honey butter: one cup of butter and 1/4 cup of your favorite honey mixed well and spread on a warm scone is yummy. I also use this on my Yankee corn bread. For honey butter variations you can skip the honey and add in fruit preserves for something different. Apricot or Lemon marmalade are super.