Big fluffy brown butter scones

Method

• step 1

  A couple of hours before baking or up to a day ahead, melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat, then simmer for 5-7 mins, swirling every now and then until deep golden brown with the aroma of toast. Leave to cool a little, pour into a container and chill until solid.

• step 2

  Weigh the flour into a large bowl. Set aside. Holding the cold butter in baking parchment, coarsely grate using a box grater. Dip the end in the flour occasionally to prevent clumps forming. Lightly toss the grated butter in a little flour and freeze for at least 10 mins.

• step 3

  Stir 2 tsp salt, the baking powder and sugar into the flour to combine. Mix the yogurt, 100ml milk, the lemon juice or vinegar and vanilla together in a jug.

• step 4

  Mix the frozen butter into the dry ingredients using a cutlery knife to evenly distribute, then mix in the wet ingredients to make a scrappy dough – small pockets of flour are fine and you want specks of butter throughout the dough.

• step 5

  Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring together using your hands – don’t knead it or it will become tough. Roll the dough out into a rough rectangle, about 15 x 30cm. Cut it into three smaller rectangles, then stack them on top of each other. Turn 90 degrees, roll out again to roughly the same size as before and repeat the process. Roll the dough out again, this time into a square, about 15 x 15cm, roughly 4cm thick. Don’t worry about having a precise square – the thickness of the dough matters most at this stage.

• step 6

  Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Dust a 7cm biscuit cutter in a little flour, then stamp out four scones, pressing the cutter straight down without twisting (to ensure the scones rise straight up – you can use a fluted or straight cutter). Squeeze the scraps together, trying not to knead too much, and stamp out two more scones. Arrange on the baking tray, then chill for at least 30 mins. To freeze the unbaked scones, freeze on the tray until solid, then keep in a freezerproof food bag for up to three months. Bake from frozen as below, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.

• step 7

  Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Beat the egg with the 1 tbsp milk, then brush over the tops of the scones. Sprinkle a little caster sugar over each, and bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 mins before splitting and topping with the clotted cream and jam or our strawberry compote (see below). Once completely cool, the scones will keep in an airtight container for up to two days, or frozen for up to three months.