Blueberry skillet scones with lemon glaze

Skillet scones are a campside take on Irish soda farls, the traditional quick-cooking breads made on a griddle. They’re crisp and dry on the outside but soft and dense in the center, and are delicious with a smear of jam or butter served alongside coffee or tea.

Credit: Voyageur press / Will Taylor

• makes

  14

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

To make a savory version of these skillet scones, just swap the sugar, lemon zest, and blueberries for shredded Cheddar and chopped scallions.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240 g) Multipurpose Baking Mix (see Note)
• ¾ cup (180 ml) buttermilk
• ¼ cup (56 g) butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 1 cup (170 g) blueberries

For the glaze

• ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar
• 3 tsp (15ml) lemon juice

Instructions

To make the scones, in a large bowl, stir together the baking mix, buttermilk, butter, granulated sugar, egg, and lemon zest with a large sturdy spoon until a soft, sticky, and shaggy dough forms. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Grease a large skillet with butter and heat it over medium-low heat. Using a large spoon, drop ¼-cupfuls of dough (slightly larger than a golf ball) into the skillet. Arrange them so that the sides of each biscuit are barely touching. You should have 14 scones.

Cover and cook until the scones are golden brown on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn each biscuit over with a spoon and continue cooking, covered, for about 5 minutes more until both sides are lightly browned and the scones are fully cooked in the center.

Meanwhile, to make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until well blended. Drizzle the glaze over the warm scones before serving.

Note

•Multipurpose Baking Mix

Freshly made baked goods — that don’t come out of a box — feel like such a luxury in camp, even though their core ingredients couldn’t be simpler. But hauling bags of flour, sugar, and leaveners isn’t really feasible, nor is all the exact measuring you have to do every time for every recipe. If you bring a large batch of this highly versatile baking mix, however, you can whip up homemade scones, pancakes (such as these savoury pancakes), biscuits, coffee cakes, and other quick breads with ease. It also works in other recipes that call for commercial all-purpose baking mixes. This makes 3 cups (360 g). Double or triple the recipe according to your needs.

Combine 3 cups (360 g) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp kosher salt in a medium bowl. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag or lidded container and store in a dry, cool place for up to 8 months. Before using, stir the mix around to evenly distribute the ingredients.

I use the “scoop and sweep” method for measuring flour: simply scoop a heaping cupful of flour, then level it with a straightedge. If your flour has been sitting in the bottom of a bag or canister for a while, fluff it up with a fork before scooping.

Recipe from The New Camp Cookbook: Gourmet grub for campers, road trippers and adventurers by Linda Ly, photographs by Will Taylor (Voyageur Press/Quarto Group, hb, $29.99). Read more of Linda's camping tips, fire building instructions and recipes here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

To make a savory version of these skillet scones, just swap the sugar, lemon zest, and blueberries for shredded Cheddar and chopped scallions.