Zuni Cafè Scones (My Version)

Found on viamagazine.com. Enjoyed for 'elevenses' today! Recipe rearranged a little with hints of Persian/Middle Eastern flavors introduced.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Yields: 8 scones

Ingredients

• 3  cups unbleached flour
• 7  tablespoons sugar
• 4  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 lb  cold salted butter
• 1⁄2 cup  dried currants and barberries and orange flavored dried cranberries
• 1  tablespoon  freshly grated orange zest
• 1  large egg
• 2  teaspoons  orange blossom water
• 1⁄2 cup  cold  whole milk (I used up the remaining whole milk that had started to sour)
•  raw sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix well.
4. Using a pastry cutter or two kitchen knives, cut in the butter until it is the size of small peas. Scatter the dried fruit and orange zest over the dry ingredients and toss well.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and orange blossom water. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients; mix and fold gently until a dough forms and the flour is moistened. Don’t worry if the dough is a little streaky and bits of butter are still intact. *[Do not overmix the dough.]*.
6. Divide the dough in half and shape each portion into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, pat each ball into a 6- to 7-inch disk. With a rolling pin, roll the disks into 3/4-inch-thick rounds—the perimeter will be ragged—then cut each round into 8 wedges (like pie slices). On parchment-lined baking sheets, arrange the wedges without crowding.
7. Sprinkle the scones with a dusting of raw sugar.
8. Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 20- 25 minutes.
9. Serve warm. We liked our scones with a slather of butter. Delicious with your morning cup of coffee, too!