English Scones

I remember cooking class at school (or home economics I guess..) and the first thing we learnt was how to make scones. Some turned out so hard they could be considered a weapon of mass destruction - but some actually turned out well! Scones are typically British and it may be difficult to find the clotted cream, that finishes then so well,  elsewhere. The sultanas are optional but they make a nice twist to the plain recipe.

Scones with sultanas .

Ingredients (yields 6 scones):

200g all-purpose flour, plus more for handling the dough

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 tbsp  sugar

1/2 tsp  salt

60g cold butter

50g  sultanas 

140-150g milk 

for brushing the top: 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp milk

serve with unsalted butter or clotted cream and jam

Preheat your oven to 220°C /425° F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. You can prepare the dough either by hand or in a food processor.

Mix the flour, the baking powder, the sugar and salt  until incorporated

Cut the  cold butter into small cubes and add them to the dry ingredients  until you get a breadcrumb like consistency.

Add the sultanas and mix, then add the milk  and mix again just until the dough comes together and doesn’t show big spots of dry flour anymore – you can add a little more flour if you think it’s too wet to proceed.

Place onto a well floured board, generously sprinkle with flour and knead very briefly  (do not over knead or the scones will be stogy). Pat into a round disc of about 1 1/2 inch thick and cut out rounds with a  2 1/2 inch diameter cookie cutter  and place  on the parchment paper lined baking tray. 

Quickly knead together remaining dough, pat to the same thickness and cut out more scones.

Beat the egg yolk with one tbsp of milk and brush the tops of the scones. Bake on mid level for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Best eaten while still warm with unsalted butter/clotted cream and jam.

Tips: use jam with at least a 50% fruit content.

Learn about Clotted Cream http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clotted_cream