Pastry Chef Elizabeth Belkind of Grace Restaurant – Los Angeles, CA
Adapted by StarChefs.com

Yield: 75-80 Servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups dry sour cherries
• 2 cups simple syrup
• 4 pounds, 8 ounces pastry flour
• 1 2/3 cups light brown sugar
• 2 ounces baking powder
• 2½ teaspoons baking soda
• 3¾ teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 cups dark (65% to 66%) chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 pound 14 ounces butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 5 cups buttermilk, very cold
• 1 cup cold manufacturing cream
• Raw sugar to garnish

Method:
Place the cherries in a bowl and pour the simple syrup over them. Allow the cherries to soak in the syrup for 1 hour. Drain the cherries and place them in the refrigerator to chill completely for an additional hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Sift together all the dry ingredients. Add the cherries and the chocolates. Quickly incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients with your hands, working it until the butter pieces are half as big as they were when you began. The majority, but not all, of the dry ingredients should be moistened.

Add the buttermilk and gently toss all the ingredients together as if you were making dough for tender biscuits. Do not knead the dough, and be careful not to overwork it. Remember that you will be handling the dough quite a bit while shaping the scones which will further incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Flatten it gently with your hands to form a block ¾-inch thick. Cut out triangles of dough 2½ inches by 2½ inches by 3 inches. Each scone should weigh about 2 ounces.

Freeze the scones for 1 hour before baking. Gently brush any excess flour off the bottom of each scone. Place the manufacturing cream in a small bowl. Dip each scone into the cream, and sprinkle the top with generous amounts of raw sugar. Place each scone on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.