Roasted Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Scones

I recently had the opportunity to interview a handful of people who were interested in baking in a kitchen. Interviews are always weird; I never know what exactly to ask while avoiding creating too cliche of an interview. I think interviews go both ways. It’s an opportunity not just to see if the employer finds you suitable to be a part of a team, but for the individual to hear more about the company which they are applying to. I don’t think a lot of people think that way, but I try to give subtle clues to show that’s the way that it is. I don’t want to just interview, I want to meet and talk. I want to see what you’re really like. One of the questions I found myself asking was what is something you’ve baked that you’ve felt very accomplished in. Like, for me, it was macarons. I had to get it right. Then I ask what would you like your next challenge be. Surprisingly, a lot of the people I met said scones. I didn’t think scones were something to be accomplished because they are fairly simple, but it made me start craving scones. I’ve been working quite a bit, surprise, surprise. So the first opportunity I could have to make some scones, I took it! It’s rhubarb season, and not only is my Instagram feed filled with people going nuts over rhubarb, my brain is also going nuts over it. I was trying to think what it was about rhubarb that made it desirable today. I think it’s because the season is so short. You have very limited time to devour all the rhubarb. I’ve already had rhubarb curd, rhubarb shrub, and now these roasted rhubarb vanilla bean scones.

I made them once before, but my rhubarb was a little too wet and I didn’t freeze my cut outs long enough before baking. So I had to wait for another opportunity to make them with my new knowledge.

I used A Cozy Kitchen’s blog post on her rhubarb sandwich scones. I liked the added lime zest and juice she used during roasting. I understood after the first time I made them why she made them sandwich scones, cause them things add a lot of liquid! While I loved the way hers looked, I just really like that traditional triangle scone shape.

Last year I made peach scones using cake flour because another blogger uses it exclusively, saying it gives them a much fluffier texture. While it was fluffy, it was too cake-y for me. I ended up reading King Arthur Flour’s Scone Baking Guide and figured I’d go from there. I love the detail they have given to create the scone you’re looking for. 

Before we delve into more photos, let’s admire this one. Oh my. I’m reminding myself of other reasons why Rhubarb is so popular. After roasting, these tiny little tart pieces are the most beautiful blush. How can you not just stop and stare at this? 
Roasted Rhubarb
(From A Cozy Kitchen)
2 1/2 Cups of chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 Lime
Juice of half of the lime

Scones
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour)
326 Grams All Purpose Flour
67 Grams of sugar
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 TBS Baking Powder
113 grams cold cubed butter
2 eggs
1 TBS Vanilla Bean Paste
117 grams half and half

For Topping
A little bit of milk
Sugar in the Raw

What you need to do!

∙Roast your rhubarb first. Chop it up into small even pieces.
∙Pre-heat over to 425 and line a baking tray. Throw rhubarb, sugar, lime zest, and juice onto tray and mix to coat rhubarb.
∙Roast for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Let cool completely.
∙Measure out your butter for scones and cube into tiny pieces. I like to put them into the freezer while I weigh everything else out.
∙In a mixing bowl combine all of your dry ingredients.
∙In a measuring pitcher weigh out your half and half and toss in your eggs and vanilla bean paste.
∙Next step is similar to making pie dough. You want to incorporate your butter into your dry mix to resemble corn meal. I start with a pastry blender, and then I move to rubbing the butter in between my thumb and index finger. You want to be cautious when you do this because you don’t want to add too much heat by using your hands.
∙add in liquid until dough comes together.
∙This is where I did my own thing and took A Cozy Kitchen’s idea and made it my own. I pushed the dough together into a circle but then I pushed it down on a flour surface so it was a shape in between a rectangle and a circle. I’d do a line of rhubarb and fold. I did this on all the edges until it came back into a circle. I formed the outside a little with my hands so there weren’t any uneven sides.
∙Cut however you want or follow the ideas that King Arthur gives. I cut mine into those triangles and placed onto a lined baking sheet and placed in freezer uncovered for at least an hour. This really holds the shape of the scone. I rushed it last time, and instead of rising up, the scones went outwards.
∙Preheat over to 425
∙Pull tray out of freezer and lightly brush with milk. I also went crazy the first couple of times I did this and got excess milk all over the tray and that burned. It also burnt the bottom of my scones because it was a pool of milk underneath.
∙Dust the tops with raw sugar
∙Bake for 20-25 minutes or until gold brown.

These scones were not only gorgeous to look at they were tender as well as melt in your mouth. I surprisingly resisted eating more than one in the time I took the picture. I would have eaten more, but I knew my gentleband was coming home with some Chipotle. No matter how good these scones are, I didn’t want to be too full for some chips and guac.

I think I might need to make these again for the neighbors…. and myself. I may just even add more rhubarb!