All the Broken Places | Cranberry Orange Scones
All the Broken Places is about the life of Gretel, if you’ve read the infamous book, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, you may recognize that she is Bruno’s sister in that book. However, both books are stand alones, you do not need to read one before the other. Gretel’s story jumps back and forth between her life in present day London at 91 years old and her as a 12 year old in Nazi Germany and then post-war in Paris.
Memories of Gretel’s early life are marked with shame and grief for her family's part in one of the most well known extermination camps. As an elderly woman, she is still grappling with her role in the Holocaust but is (mostly) successful in locking these memories away and keeping her past a secret. That is, until a young family moves into the apartment below her.
Witnessing her new neighbors' domestic abuse brings back violent memories of Gretel’s early years, forcing her to choose whether to turn a blind eye and save herself or confront her past and help the ones who are most vulnerable.
I have a confession to make, I haven’t read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas or even watched the movie. After reading this book it is definitely moving up the TBR. Where WWII fiction is typically told from the Allies point of view, All the Broken Places tells the story of a family who wasn’t on the right side of history. This book begs the question, at what age is a person culpable for their action or inaction? The whole story is thought-provoking and fast-paced. I highly recommend it.
Warm scones and tea are shared between Gretel and her future daughter-in-law, Eleanor, during a tender bonding moment where Gretel finally opens up and shares a little bit of her past. Gretel comes across as a little sweet and a little zesty, which inspired these cranberry orange scones. Crunchy, fluffy, sugary and tart, they pair beautifully with a cup of black tea and a visit with friends.
Vegan Cranberry Orange Scones
Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup white sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tsp orange zest
½ cup cold hard margarine, cut into chunks, I use vegan Becel baking sticks
I cup frozen cranberries
1/3 cup coconut yogurt
1/2 cup oat milk
1 tsp vanilla
Filling
¼ cup white sugar, coarse if you have it
2 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp oat milk
Glaze
½ cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp orange juice
Instructions
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest.
Add the cold margarine chunks and cut in using a pastry cutter or fork. Continue cutting until the margarine is the size of small peas. Add the frozen cranberries and toss with the flour.
Make a well in the center of the flour and add the coconut yogurt, oat milk and vanilla. Gently stir together until a shaggy dough forms. I tend to hold back a few tablespoons of the milk at first and add the last 2-3 Tbsp slowly as the amount needed depends on how liquid-y the yogurt is.
Flour your hands and gently knead the dough a few times until it comes together.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Flatten the dough into a rectangle and roll out to about 9x13. Make sure the surface is floured and your dough isn't sticky.
Combine the filling ingredients, orange zest and sugar, and sprinkle it evenly over the dough.
Fold the top ⅓ over, and then fold one more time until you have a long and thin rectangle of dough.
Cut the dough once down the middle, then into quarters, and then each quarter diagonally to make 8 scones.
Transfer them to a cookie sheet and put it into the freezer while the oven preheats to 375F.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden with the tops feeling firm. Cool on a wire rack.
Prepare the glaze by stirring the ingredients together. Start with 1 Tbsp of orange juice and add more slowly. If the glaze is too thin it will soak into the scones. If this happens just add a bit more icing sugar. Brush over the warm scones and enjoy!
Serves 8
For another scone recipe, check out Cheri’s Rhubarb Crumble Scones here.
Hi, I’m Beth! I’ve been inhaling books and baking from the time I learned to read…
