Grapefruit Scones with Zesty Sugar Topping

Lately I've been receiving mysterious bags of grapefruit on my front porch. Normally I wouldn't oppose free food gifts but grapefruit has never been my cup of tea. I mean, here you have this delicious, orange-like fruit which appears to have all the sweet and juicy qualities of an orange, but no. Instead it sits on a thrown of lies and greets you with a brutal bitter slap in the face. I was determined to find some way to use them, I hate wasting perfectly fine produce. Whilst browsing the internet for inspiration, I came across these grapefruit scones from Joy the Baker, Grapefruit into scones?! Sounds just crazy enough to work...

Grapefruit Scones
(makes 8 large scones)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar (for grapefruit sugar)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 Ruby Red grapefruit, zested and segmented
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)



Directions

1.Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2.In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3.Zest the grapefruit and combined zest and granulated sugar on a clean cutting board. Rub together the zest and sugar with the back of a spoon. The sugar will be tinted a pale orange color and smell of grapefruit. Measure 2 tablespoons of the grapefruit sugar and whisk into the dry ingredients. Save the remaining grapefruit sugar for topping the scones just before baking.

4.Segment the grapefruit next. Slice off the bottom and top of the grapefruit, exposing the wheel of grapefruit flesh inside. Use a sharp knife to cut away the peel and pith of the grapefruit, exposing the pink grapefruit flesh. Slice in between the white skin segments to the center of the fruit, at a slight angel, circling the grapefruit. Little grapefruit segments should fall from the fruit as you slice. Set segments aside.

5.Dice cold butter into small chunks and add to the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, and working quickly, break the butter down into the flour mixture until butter chunks are the size of oat flakes or small peas. The butter and flour combined will resemble coarse meal. Add the honey, plain yogurt and grapefruit segments. Toss together with a fork until all of the dry ingredients are moistened by the yogurt and honey.

6.Turn the scone dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Form into an 8 inch circle, about 1 inch thick. Use a knife or a bench scraper to cut the dough into six scone triangles. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops of the scones with milk or buttermilk, and sprinkle generously with grapefruit sugar.

7.Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden brown on top and firm but soft in the center. Allow to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with butter and jam. These scones are best served the day they’re made.

These scones have a moist, biscuit - like texture with the zesty citrus sweetness of the grapefruit sugar, definitely delicious even for a grapefruit hater.