Berries A-Go-Go
I am a big fan of portable breakfast. I mean I also love pancakes and waffles and French toast. But, there is something about grabbing something personal-sized with a cup of coffee that is just too stress-free to pass up. And really, who doesn’t like a fresh croissant or a well-made scone? Or two…

I try to make muffins, or banana bread, or whatever every Sunday so that there is something to grab that is quick and easy Monday morning when no one in my house is really ready to face the new week. Now that spring has arrived my mind is turning towards the berries that should be available soon, most notably the olallieberries.

I became an olallieberry fanatic while going to school in Oregon. The berries there are ridiculous and you will find them everywhere in everything. I once enjoyed an olallieberry scone that was life-changing while walking to class one morning. I have been trying to reproduce it ever since. And, I’ve come close but haven’t gotten it right yet—but the fun part is in the trying.

As the days get warmer the local berry patches will start opening for U-pick. I plan to be first in line. While they may not be quite the same experience as their Oregon relatives, our local berries are so so good, especially warm from the vine. My mouth is watering just thinking about it—and about my next attempt at those magnificent scones.

This is one time where substituting frozen berries for fresh won’t work. The frozen berries would add too much liquid to the scones. So, it looks like you might just have to spend a beautiful day outdoors in a berry patch (or, yes, you could buy them too). It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it!

Olallieberry Scones
Yields 8 American-style scones

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose four
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest (optional)
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
1 cup fresh olallieberries, marionberries, or blackberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 375º F.

Mix the dough
In a large bowl, whisk the four, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest (if using) together to combine. Add the cold butter, cutting it in with a pastry cutter, your fingers, or a food processor, until only pea-sized pieces of cold butter remain.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and cream together, then pour it into the flour mixture and mix with a fork, until a shaggy dough just comes together. Sprinkle the berries over the dough and lightly knead the dough in bowl 2-3 time just to combine, being careful not to crush the berries too much.

Form the scones
Turn out the scone dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 1-inch thick rectangle or round. Cut the round into 8 wedges with a sharp knife, then transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush each scone with a little cream using a pastry brush and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake the scones
Bake the scones until the scones are golden brown (about 25 to 30 minutes). Remove them from the oven and serve warm.