Here's a recipe for light and crumbly scones - the perfect centrepiece to a traditional Cream Tea.
The Recipe
Makes about 10 scones
Ingredients:
- 225g Plain flour or cake flour
- 50g Butter
- 2 Tablespoons caster or light soft brown sugar
- 50g sultanas or raisins
- 100ml soured cream or natural yoghurt
- One Egg
- The zest (pared or grated outer rind) of one lemon
- 2 Teaspoons baking powder
- pinch of salt
Method:
Place the flour, sugar and baking powder and a pinch of salt into a large bowl (if you can, sift the flour into the bowl, as it will make the end result lighter).
Cut the butter into small chunks and rub it into the flour with your fingertips (or use a rubbing in tool like this one), until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Add the raisins and the lemon zest, mix together.
Preheat the oven to 210 degrees C
Beat the egg into the soured cream, add this to the other ingredients and fold it all together very gently with a table knife.
It's important not to mix too thoroughly - just gently bring the ingredients together.
Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface - as you can see in this picture, it's still not even formed into a single ball of dough - and that's a good thing.
Squeeze the mixture together a little, but try not to knead it - we want the scones to be crumbly, not springy like a loaf of bread.
Roll the mixture out to about an inch thick, then cut into rounds using a small or medium pastry cutter or other suitable object (alternatively, just cut into squares with a sharp knife - it will taste just as good.
Place the scones on a lightly-oiled baking tray, brush the tops with a little milk, then place in the hot oven.
Bake for about seven minutes, but keep watch after about five - they overcook really easily. Remove the scones from the oven when they are golden brown.
Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Serve them split with butter or clotted cream and jam or fresh fruit.
I enjoyed mine (picture at top of page) with clotted cream, fresh strawberries and some gooseberries from my garden that are so ripe, they taste just like sweet grapes.
Problems with metric measures?
Most of the recipes on this site state their ingredients only in metric measurements and many of them also require a pair of kitchen scales.
I appreciate that this renders them difficult or impossible for some people to use, so here are some measurement conversions I hope will help.
Thank you. fpd * I teach middle school art and use your friendship bracelet as a craft project. The kids love it!!!