You cant get much better then a quintessential English scone. Except when it’s a scone served the day before Ramadan begins, knowing that its your last afternoon tea for a while. The last time I had a proper English scone was sitting in the prettiest Tea Garden at Watersmeet House in Devon, surrounded by the most glorious green forest. So I thought we should recreate a classic English Tea.
There are so many different variations of scones, the debate is not only whether you put your cream or your jam on top, but its also e on whether you use buttermilk or not. My gran (and mum) make scones with soda water, which adds to the rise and produces a soft and fluffy texture. I adore the buttermilk scones as well, it creates such a moist cake. Lock-down however, had other plans.
There are some tips to getting the perfect scone:
- The trick to a good scone is to not overwork your dough at all.
- Crumble the butter in, either using the tip of your fingers or a butter knife and then mix it with the softest touch. Love your scones.
- Make sure your cutter is nice and sharp, a clean edge helps it rise nice and high.
- By using buttermilk, your scone will have a higher rise. I didn’t have any so made do with what I had.
Alright, I’ll get on with the recipe, because I know that’s the real reason you are here. This recipe is adapted from the Queen of English baking, Mary Berry.
English Scones
Ingredients
- 450 grams self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 75 grams ice cold butter cut into cubes
- 50 grams castor sugar
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml fresh cream (you can use full cream milk as well)
- pinch of salt
- egg to brush the top
- clotted/ whipped cream to serve
- strawberry jam to serve
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 200 Degrees Celsius (205 to be exact)
- Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add in the chopped butter, and rub butter into the flour mix using your fingertips until a fine breadcrumb consistency. You can also "cut" the butter through with a knife.
- Beat the eggs into a measuring jug, then add the milk. Make a well in the center of the flour and stir the egg and milk into the flour – you may not need it all – and mix to a soft, sticky dough.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead very lightly to form a thickness of about 2 cm.
- Cut into as many rounds as possible with a a 5 cm cutter and place them on the prepared baking trays. Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk, or any egg and milk left over.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the scones are well risen and a pale, golden-brown colour.
- Serve with your choice of cream and jam.