scones
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Easy
- Serves 8
Ingredients
- Ingredients
500g/1lb 1oz strong white flour, plus a little extra for rolling out
- 80g/3oz softened butter, plus a little extra to grease the baking tray
- 80g/3oz caster sugar
- 2 free-range eggs
- 5 tsp baking powder
- 250ml/8ýfl oz milk
1 free-range egg, beaten with a little salt (for glazing)
- To serve
- butter
- good-quality strawberry or raspberry jam
- clotted cream
- Preparation method
- Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted)/425F/Gas 7.
- Lightly grease a baking tray with butter and line it with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof).
Method
- STEP 1Put 450g/15ýoz of the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingers to create a breadcrumb-like mixture.
- STEP 2Add the sugar, eggs and baking powder and use a wooden spoon to turn the mixture gently. Make sure you mix all the way down to the bottom and incorporate all of the ingredients.
- STEP 3Now add half of the milk and keep turning the mixture gently with the spoon to combine. Then add the remaining milk a little at a time and bring everything together to form a very soft, wet dough. (You may not need to add all of the milk.)
- STEP 4Sprinkle most of the remaining flour onto a clean work surface. Tip the soft dough out onto the work surface and sprinkle the rest of the flour on top. The mixture will be wet and sticky.
- STEP 5Use your hands to fold the dough in half, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. By folding and turning the mixture in this way (called 'chaffing'), you incorporate the last of the flour and add air. Do this a few times until youâÂÂve formed a smooth dough. If the mixture becomes too sticky use some extra flour to coat the mixture or your hands to make it more manageable. Be careful not to overwork your dough.
- STEP 6ext roll the dough out: sprinkle flour onto the work surface and the top of the dough, then use the rolling pin to roll up from the middle and then down from the middle. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and continue to roll until itâÂÂs about 2.5cm/1in thick. âÂÂRelaxâ the dough slightly by lifting the edges and allowing the dough to drop back onto the work surface.
- STEP 7Using a pastry cutter, stamp out rounds from the pastry and place them onto the baking tray. Dip the edge of the pastry cutter in flour to make it easier to cut out the scones without them sticking. DonâÂÂt twist the cutter â just press firmly, then lift it up and push the dough out.
- STEP 8Once youâÂÂve cut 4 or 5 rounds you can re-work and re-roll the dough to make it easier to cut out the remaining rounds. Any leftover dough can be worked and rolled again, but the resulting scones wonâÂÂt be as fluffy.
