The delicious and versatile scone

Here is another bake that nearly everyone loves. It is a great treat to take to any morning tea or school bake sale, but it is also a very welcome after school snack for hungry children or a filler for a weekend family day at home. Chef Chahna and my son Ben, came up here on Mothers Day . Chahna brought a batch of her delicious plain and cheese scones , which she then reheated in the oven . It was such a lovely start to our day together .

Lets kick off with a plain scone recipe and I will add a cheese scone recipe after this one .

You will need a fluted 5cm metal cutter . You can cut your own triangle shapes with a knife , but a proper cutter creates a more professional finish .

Recipe

1. 450g self-raising flour

2. 2 level tsp baking powder

3. 50g caster sugar

4. 100g butter (this needs to be as cold as possible . It means that the rubbing in stage takes a little longer , so aim to cut the butter into small pieces to help make the whole process faster and ensure that the mixture remains cool)

5. 2 fresh eggs

6. A little milk as needed (fridge cold)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C (200C Fan , 400F)

2. Lightly grease and line two baking trays

3. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl , then add the sugar . Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips so as not to overheat the mixture . Keep rubbing until your achieve a fine breadcrumb consistency .

4. Crack the eggs into a measuring jug and add enough cold milk to reach the 300ml level . Mix together with a fork or hand whisk .

5. Stir the egg and milk mixture into the flour . Just add enough to make a soft sticky dough , it may not require the whole amount of egg mixture , we want a soft sticky dough , not a wet damp squid .

6. lightly flour a clean bench surface and turn out your scone mix . Kneed gently and then , using a floured rolling pin , roll into a rectangle about 2cm thick .

7. Cut out the round scone shapes . Always cut straight down and up without twisting the cutter . Dunking the cutter in flour helps stop dough pull and you may also need to wipe the cutter inbetween . Brush the top of the scones with any remaining egg/milk mixture , but try to avoid it dribbling down the sides because that will affect an even scone rise .

8. Bake for 12 -15 minutes or until well risen and a pale golden brown colour .

9. Place your beautiful scones onto a wire cooling rack , then either eat right there and then (well at least one anyway , or maybe two) or else place in a tupperware container and take to your morning tea or school function .

There are many serving options . Remember to reheat the scones for a short time in the oven for a whole batch , or microwave for an individual scone . Then serve with butter , or jam and clotted cream.(I'm not going to get into the whole argument about which is the correct order to add the cream and jam . Mainly because it really tastes the same whichever order you add them , and there are way more important things to argue about) .

Scones are also very easy to freeze , then thaw and reheat for 10 minutes in a hot oven . Not quite as perfect as just cooked , but pretty close .

This is the recipe that Chahna sent me for her delicious cheese scones . She learnt this recipe from a wonderful head baker who mentored her in the early days . They are still very good friends.

Recipe

1. 400g plain flour

2. 110g wholemeal flour

3. 115g cold butter

4. 28g baking powder

5. 1 tbsp mustard powder

6. 275g cheese grated (strong grated cheese adds more taste.)

7. Pinch cayenne pepper

8. 5g chopped chives (optional)

9. A mix of cold half butter milk , half milk to add as needed to create a soft sticky dough

10. 15g chopped and caramalised red onions. This is optional , but honestly the taste boost is more than worth the extra effort and dishes.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175C (180C fan)

2. Use a large bowl to sift in both flours , baking powder and mustard powder.

3. Rub in the cold butter pieces until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs . Remember to try and just use your finger tips to stop the mixture getting too warm. ( If you have the ideal cold pastry chef hands , or frozen pea induced cold hands , this isn't so vital )

4. Add the cayenne pepper , grated cheese , chopped chives and cooled , caramelised red onions . Stir to mix in .

5. Add the butter milk/milk mixture gradually until the dough just comes together in a soft , slightly sticky ball . You may not need all of the liquid .

6. As before , lightly flour a clean bench surface and roll out your dough with a floured rolling pin (It is important not to allow too much extra flour to become incorporated into the dough , because it will make your final scones heavy and solid)

7. Turn out your scone dough and roll to an appoximate rectangle 20cm thick . Cut using your 5cm metal cutter (remember , straight up and straight down) or else cut into triangles by hand with a sharp knife .

8. Place on a greased , lined tray and bake for approximately 20 minutes , or until risen and golden .

There is something so warm , homely and loving about scones . Whether you have a family or else some close friends , or just want some home comfort for yourself , scones will fit the bill perfectly .

They are a gift of love , so enjoy every scone moment .

Love from both Chahna and me xxx

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/6ddfbe_11a8dee5b62d42b1a606a11603476973/1080p/mp4/file.mp4