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    Home » Recipes » Scones

    Published on Feb 27, 2017. Modified on Nov 11, 2024 by bakingqueen74. This post may contain affiliate links. 67 Comments

    Blood Orange Buttermilk Scones

    215 shares
    • 21
    Jump to Recipe

    I’m sharing my recipe for my blood orange scones, ideal for blood orange season, that short time in January/February when blood oranges with their deep red flesh are in the shops.

    Scones with blood orange syrup topped with blood orange pieces.
    Jump to:
    • All about blood oranges
    • Buttermilk in baking
    • Ingredients
    • Method
    • Blood orange recipes
    • Giveaway (now closed)
    • Recipe
    • Reviews

    All about blood oranges

    All citrus fruits are in season at this time of year (at the time of writing) but I particularly love to squeeze blood oranges and enjoy a glass or two of deep red blood orange juice with its gorgeous colour. 

    Apparently the dark blood-like colour of the flesh comes from a pigment and develops when the fruit develops with low temperatures overnight.

    Blood oranges cut open on a board with grater.

    I also love to use orange zest in baking to make the most of the fruit and use as much of it as possible. Those vivid oranges produce the deepest red juice, which I made into a blood orange syrup to drench my blood orange scones.

    The scones contain zest and a few tablespoons of juice from the blood oranges too.

    Split them when warm and serve with ricotta, mascarpone or clotted cream. Just perfect, and making the most of the produce of the season too.

    Blood Orange Buttermilk Scones

    Buttermilk in baking

    Buttermilk adds a lovely tang to your scones and goes so well with the sweetness of the blood orange syrup.

    You’ll find it near the cream and creme fraiche at the supermarket, I love to use it for soda bread too, as well as in chocolate cakes.

    Blood Orange Buttermilk Scones

    The colour of these oranges just looks so vivid on top of the scones. The blood like syrup dripping off too just makes you want to dip in your finger.

    As you eat them you have the blood orange syrup on top as well as the orange zest and juice inside. A cornucopia of orange flavours!

    Blood Orange Buttermilk Scones

    Ingredients

    Here’s what you will need for the recipe. Get the quantities in the recipe card below:

    • flour
    • caster sugar
    • baking powder
    • butter
    • buttermilk
    • blood oranges – zest and juice and 1 whole. Normal oranges can be used if they are out of season or you can’t find any.

    Method

    1. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest.
    2. Rub in the butter until it forms rough breadcrumbs.
    3. Stir in the buttermilk and orange juice to form a soft dough.
    4. Turn it out onto a work surface and pat the dough into a rough rectangle shape out 4 cm thick.
    5. Using a small fluted cutter, cut out approx 10 small scones.
    6. Add a little more orange zest on top of the scones and brush with a little milk.
    7. Place the scones on baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
    8. Bake in a preheated oven at 210°C for 9-11 minutes until golden.
    9. While the scones bake, place the blood orange juice and sugar in a small bowl. Microwave for approx 30 seconds and then stir, the sugar should dissolve.
    10. Then to reduce to a syrup, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, keeping an eye on it and opening the door and stopping the cooking time each time it boils up to prevent it from boiling over.
    11. Once the syrup has reduced, leave it to cool and it will thicken further.
    12. Remove the scones from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
    13. Place a thin slice of blood orange on top of each scone and pour over a little syrup.
    14. Serve warm, split and filled with ricotta, mascarpone or clotted cream.

    Blood orange recipes

    More blood orange recipe ideas from my food blogging friends:

    • orange curd made with blood oranges
    • Plum and Blood Orange Cobbler
    • blood orange and berry smoothie from Food to Glow
    • blood orange gin fizz from Supper in the Suburbs

    Giveaway (now closed)

    To zest my blood oranges I use my Deiss Pro citrus zester and cheese grater (also available here for US readers).

    With a wide blade made of premium quality stainless steel, and dishwasher safe too, I find it indispensable in the kitchen whether for grating cheese, garlic, ginger or zesting lemons or oranges.

    Enter the giveaway below where you could win one of three Deiss Pro citrus zesters/cheese graters. 

    Deiss Pro citrus zester giveaway and blood orange buttermilk scones recipe

    Disclosure: BakingQueen74 was commissioned to develop and publish this recipe by Deiss Limited.

    Pin me for later!!

    Blood Orange Buttermilk Scones

    Recipe

    Scones with blood orange syrup topped with blood orange pieces.

    Blood Orange Buttermilk Scones

    Simple recipe for blood orange scones, made with buttermilk, which you will enjoy as part of a cream tea 
    5 from 14 votes
    Print Rate Save Saved!
    Course: Baking
    Cuisine: British
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 11 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 16 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 178kcal
    Author: Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

    Ingredients

    for the scones:

    • 160 g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
    • 70 g self-raising flour (or just use all plain flour)
    • 2 tsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)
    • ½ tsp baking powder
    • pinch salt
    • zest of 1 blood orange
    • 55 g butter cubed
    • 150 ml buttermilk
    • 3 tbsp blood orange juice

    for the syrup:

    • 100 ml blood orange juice (juice of 2 blood oranges)
    • 90 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)

    to decorate:

    • 1 blood orange thinly sliced
    UK Measurements – US Measurements

    Equipment

    mixing bowl
    mixing bowl
    spatula
    spatula
    weighing scales
    weighing scales

    Instructions 

    • Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest.
      160 g plain flour (all-purpose flour), 70 g self-raising flour, 2 tsp caster sugar (superfine sugar), ½ tsp baking powder, pinch salt, zest of 1 blood orange
    • Rub in the butter until it forms rough breadcrumbs.
      55 g butter
    • Stir in the buttermilk and orange juice to form a soft dough.
      150 ml buttermilk, 3 tbsp blood orange juice
    • Turn it out onto a work surface and pat the dough into a rough rectangle shape out 4 cm thick.
    • Using a small fluted cutter, cut out approx 10 small scones.
    • Add a little more orange zest on top of the scones and brush with a little milk.
    • Place the scones on baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
    • Bake in a preheated oven at 210℃ / 410℉ for 9-11 minutes until golden.
    • While the scones bake, place the blood orange juice and sugar in a small bowl. Microwave for approx 30 seconds and then stir, the sugar should dissolve.
      100 ml blood orange juice, 90 g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
    • Then to reduce to a syrup, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, keeping an eye on it and opening the door and stopping the cooking time each time it boils up to prevent it from boiling over.
    • Once the syrup has reduced, leave it to cool and it will thicken further.
    • Remove the scones from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
    • Place a thin slice of blood orange on top of each scone and pour over a little syrup.
      1 blood orange
    • Serve warm, split and filled with ricotta, mascarpone or clotted cream.
    Did you try and love this recipe?Then please leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how you got on!

    More Scones

    • Close up shot of a golden cheesy scone on a wooden board.
      Easy Cheese Scones
    • Close up of a scone filled with butter and jam.
      Rhubarb Scones
    • Scones on a white round rack on a blue background.
      Cherry Coconut Scones
    • Close up of berry scone with lemon zest.
      Lemon Berry Scones

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cerys says

      March 20, 2017 at 9:19 pm

      Cheesy leek pasta bake!

      Reply
    2. Alison G Ellis says

      March 20, 2017 at 8:57 pm

      I use lemons and limes a lot but mainly in desserts so probably lemon bread

      Reply
    3. Nancy Bradford says

      March 20, 2017 at 8:34 pm

      I’d use it for the lemon zest in my spicy lemon pepper cake 🙂

      Reply
    4. Layla says

      March 20, 2017 at 8:26 pm

      Apple carrot muffins. I’ve been working on the recipe and my kids adore them.

      Reply
    5. lia sturman says

      March 20, 2017 at 7:46 pm

      Homemade pizzas and scones

      Reply
    6. Tee simpson says

      March 20, 2017 at 6:49 pm

      I would make lemon drizzle cake

      Reply
    « Older Comments
    5 from 14 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Lucy! I'm a slow cooker addict, food blogger and also a busy working mum of two. I hope you'll enjoy the recipes I create and post which are perfect for busy families.

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