Orange Scones (Panera Copycat recipe)
I’m just wild about the Orange Scones at Panera. Every once in a while I will give into temptation and treat myself to the glazed goodness of the Panera Orange Scone. One lazy Saturday morning I thought, why not just make your own? So I did. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
To give credit, I adapted this recipe from an entry by Claudia Neuman into the The Celebration Cookbook of Libertyville Covenant Church.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 large egg
5 Tbsp. orange juice (divided)
2 Tbsp. milk or cream (optional)
2 cups confectioners sugar
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400º. Lightly flour a clean work area where you can form your dough. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt until combined. Add the butter pieces and rub it in to the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal.
Mix in the grated orange peel. Whisk the egg and 2 Tbsp. of orange juice together in a separate bowl and add it to the flour mixture; stir just until blended. Turn dough out onto the lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth. Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a 3/4 inch thick round. Cut each round into 6 wedges.
Place the wedges on a parchment lined baking sheet. My favorite parchment is reusable. In fact I think I’ve had mine for at least 15 years. More affordable than Silpat. I've seen them available at Sur La Table. Brush the tops of the scones with milk or cream. Bake until golden brown about 10-12 minutes.
Glaze them with 2 cups of confectioners sugar mixed with 2-3 Tbsp. of orange juice. Enjoy!