Occasionally maligned and misunderstood; the scone is a
quintessentially British classic.
Incredible scones, picture from Wikipedia
Recipe and serving suggestions follow.
Ingredients
350g self-raising flour, and a little spare for dusting
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
85g butter, cut into cubes
3 tbsp caster sugar
175ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
squeeze lemon juice (see Know-how below)
beaten egg, to glaze
jam and clotted cream, to serve
Method
Heat the oven to 220°C (or gas mark 7). Tip the flour
into a large bowl along with the salt and baking powder,
then mix it all up. Add the butter in, then rub the butter
in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs.
When that is done, stir in the sugar.
Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about
20-30 seconds. It should be warm but not hot. Add the
vanilla and lemon juice to the milk and then put that to one
side and but a baking tray in the oven to warm.
Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and combine
it quickly with a cutlery knife – it will seem pretty wet at
first. Spread some flour onto the work surface and tip the
dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little
more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it's
smoother. Now pat it into a round shape about 4cm deep.
Take a 5cm cutter (Pro-tip – smooth-edged cutters tend to
cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some
flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have
four scones. By this point you’ll probably need to press
what's left of the dough back into a round to cut out
another four.
Brush the tops with beaten egg, then place onto the hot
baking tray.
Bake for 10 minutes until risen and golden on the top. Eat
just warm or cold on the day of baking, generously (and I do
mean generously) topped with jam and clotted cream.
If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a low
oven (about 160°C) for a few minutes to refresh.
