recipe: how to make drop scones with yogurt

lemon cranberry yogurt scone recipe

A few months ago, I wrote about my success at making soft and fluffy scones. At first, I thought their texture was because of the yogurt. Turns out, it’s because of the flour.

I have tried many variations of this recipe and the only scone that stays soft and moist is made with a mix of unbleached white flour and cake flour. I’ve had tasty success with whole wheat pastry flour, but the texture just isn’t the same. I’m posting the white flour version, but I encourage you to try different, healthier flours to see what you like best.

I’ve also tried different kinds of plain yogurt and found that a drippy consistency is best. Regular store-bought and homemade yogurt* work fine as is. I recommend thinning Greek yogurt with milk to get the right consistency.

This recipe is loosely based on the one found in Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food. I almost always make them with lemon and cranberries. Try substituting orange for the lemon and play around with the dried fruit.

Lemon Cranberry Yogurt Drop Scones

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together:
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup cake flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c chopped dried cranberries
grated zest from one small lemon

Stir in:
1 1/3 c yogurt or yogurt/milk mixture
juice from one small lemon (about 4 T)

Mix until the dough just starts to come together.

Drop 12 heaping spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15-17 minutes.

*I make my yogurt with 2% milk. I promise you won’t miss the butter or cream in this healthy treat. Enjoy!

my creative space

my creative space homemade yogurt scones

It’s picnic season and I’ve started thinking about snacks that are easy to pack when we’re going to the park. I’ve always loved scones, but I like them light and fluffy, not like some of the hard ones you find in coffee shops.

I’m also kind of picky about their nutritional value. I don’t like baking with a lot of heavy cream or butter. I was drawn to Alice Waters’ recipe because she doesn’t use butter. I’ve been replacing the heavy cream with different ratios of yogurt and milk.

The first batch I made tasted good out of the oven, but were kind of dry the next day. The second batch wasn’t that great at all. This third batch is awesome out of the oven. If they are just as good tomorrow, I’m declaring success!