Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Scones
If you’ve been a long time reader of mine, you’ll know that I am a mega fan of the Great British Bakeoff. That fact has absolutely nothing to do with the beautiful Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Scones pictured below. It DOES, however, have everything to do with the next paragraph and provides context into why I felt it worthwhile to dive into a random commentary about the differences between American scones and British scones. Here we go. *cracks knuckles*
Prior to discovering the glory of Paul Hollywood’s baby blues, I had NO idea that the scones I’ve always known are nothing like the scones in HRH’s kingdom. Here in the States, scones are generally triangular, have more sugar and butter, are dense in texture, and are often glazed. Across the pond, the “e” at the end of scone is silent, they are round and fluffy like a Pillsbury biscuit, and mainly serve as a vessel for clotted cream and jam. At least, that is what I’ve gathered from Mary Berry and every other British baking show I’ve watched (which are MANY). I still haven’t the slightest idea what clotted cream is but the name makes it sound very…eh. I digress. There is apparently much debate as to which scone is better and whether American scones are even scones at all.
However, since I’m American and have never had a British scone in my life (a true tragedy, I’m sure), my loyalty lies with the Yankee iteration. Also, they’re bloody delicious and these Lemon Lavender Poppy Seed Scones that I baked taste as good as they sound! They’re lemon-y, they’re fragrant, they’re fancy AF.
Although lemons, lavender, and poppy seeds do not normally run in the same circle, I can assure you that they make an incredible trio when folded into a perfect batch of scone batter. Lemon zest and the lavender buds give these delightful treats an incredible fragrance, the poppy seeds give a yummy nuttiness to the pastry, and the lemon drizzle gives a perfect amount of sharp sweetness! I found the recipe for these at thebakermama.com.
Recipe: thebakermama.com/recipes/lemon-lavender-poppy-seed-scones
I’m not sure how available culinary lavender is at regular grocery stores, but we bought ours at World Market and I have also seen it at Whole Foods. It isn’t very expensive and it is a great pantry staple! Although you can’t really see the lavender, you can absolutely taste it! Just be careful when you use it because too much lavender will turn your pastry into something that tastes like soap.
Link to Lavender: worldmarket.com