Baking traditional British scones is not as daunting as it might seem – Laura Ward shares her top tips on how to make the perfect batch.
With the GBBO back on our screens, everyone suddenly gets the urge to run to the kitchen and make something they’ve seen on screen, or to revisit some of their favourite recipes.
One of my all-time favourite recipes that I remember being taught by my dad, is scones. No matter how you pronounce it, it’s a quintessentially British treat that everyone seems to enjoy with jam and cream, and here’s how you make them:
Ingredients (six scones)
- 200g self-rising flour
- 50g butter or margarine
- 50g sugar and some milk for adding later.
Some people say that you need eggs for the scones to rise but the flour will do the job, so don’t worry.
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark
- Use your hands to mix the flour and butter together until they feel like breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and keep mixing with your hands. Then form a well in the middle of your mixture and add a bit of milk.
- Mix the milk in, adding more and mixing until the mixture forms a ball. You’ll know if there’s too much milk if the dough sticks to your hands. Just add a little flour and knead until it becomes less sticky.
- Put the dough onto your work surface and knead. One of the problems with scones, is that sometimes they don’t rise properly, which can make your scones hard when they cool down. That’s because there isn’t enough air in the mixture, so kneading it for a solid few minutes will make sure it rises beautifully!
- When you’re happy with your dough, sprinkle some flour on it and roll to about an inch thick. Use cutters to cut out the scones.
- Place the scones on a greased baking tray. Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar before putting in the oven for 15 minutes, or until they are golden.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Serve with jam and cream, or if you just can’t wait to taste them, you can have them hot with butter.
These scones are the ultimate treat that are simple to make, don’t take too long to bake, and at 220 calories they aren’t too bad for you either. That’s if you don’t accidentally eat all of them at once, which is more likely than you think, believe me.