There are rare days when I want to spoil the boys with a batch of something moreish to eat when they are back from school. Recently, I decided to make scones at the last minute, when I knew they were on their way home. That’s how little time it takes.
The key is to have some clotted cream and good jam in the larder. I had just opened the last jar of berry jam (click here for the recipe), so the timing was perfect.
My mother made all sorts of scones for us, but drop or griddle scones were her favourite. These are almost as easy to make, and leftovers are still excellent the next day. A 20-second burst in the microwave makes them very edible again.
Most scone recipes are largely similar, with the main variation being the quantity of butter. I like Mary Berry’s recipe, primarily because it has a smaller amount of butter and are barely sweet. All the better to eat with generous quantities of clotted cream and jam. And the final concoction doesn’t taste overly rich or cloying.
Plain flour works fine in this recipe, but use cake or pastry flour (which has lower gluten/protein than plain flour) if you have some on hand. The resulting scones will be more tender and delicate to eat. You need a small 1 1/2“ round or fluted cutter to stamp out the scones. I like this petite size, as the scones are far easier to eat.
You can omit the raisins/currants if you prefer to keep the scones plain. Here are some plain ones I had made earlier.
Prep Time | 20 minutes |
Cook Time | 15 minutes |
Servings |
small scones
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- 250 g plain flour or pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 40 g unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- 25 g sugar fine granulated or caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- about 1/2 cup milk
- 40 g raisins or currants optional
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Ingredients
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- Preheat the oven to 220C (200C Fan).
- Put the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl.
- Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the raisins/currants if using.
- Beat the egg in a measuring jug. Add enough milk to make it up to 100ml, then set aside a tablespoon for glazing the scones later.
- Gradually add the egg and milk to the dry ingredients, stirring it in until you have a soft slightly sticky dough.
- Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and give it a quick knead with about 5 turns. Then pat it out until it is about 2cm/3⁄4in thick.
- Dip the cutter in some flour, and then stamp out the scones. Make sure you don’t twist the cutter or the scones will not rise evenly. Flour the cutter in-between as necessary.
- Gently gather the trimmings together and pat out again to cut more scones until you finish the dough.
- Line a baking tray with parchment or greaseproof paper. Arrange the scones on the tray and brush the tops with the remaining milk mixture.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, or until well risen and golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve the scones warm. Best way to eat the scone is to cut it in half and top with strawberry jam and clotted cream.