As a Brit, I love scones especially when served with a cup of tea, dollop of cream and a good traditional strawberry jam! When homemade, they are even better and will make your house smell amazing for hours afterwards. However, these iconic British treats actually originated in Scotland as sweet breads. This is a recipe for basic sweet scones, but I will be uploading some of my favourite variations on this recipe in the future. Be sure to keep a lookout and join my mailing list so you don’t miss out.
Top tip: use cold butter and milk, chill the dough for 15 minutes before putting in the oven this should make your scones softer and flakier.
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Makes: 8 scones
Ingredients
225g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
55g butter
55g caster sugar
150ml milk (plus extra for glazing)
1 egg
To serve
100ml double cream
strawberry jam
Method
- Preheat oven to 220°C.
- Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl, add the chilled butter and rub until it has the appearance of breadcrumbs.
- Add the sugar and stir to combine. Gradually add the milk until the dough has just come together. You may not need all the milk; it is important you don’t over work the dough here.
- Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 30 seconds until the dough has come together. You don’t want to over knead, but it does help to ensure the dough is even and the raising agent is well combined.
- Flatten the dough until it is 1 inch thick and stamp out scones with a cookie cutter or glass. Place on a lined baking tray.
- Chill for 15 minutes; this step is optional but will give a softer, flakier result.
- Mix an egg yolk with a large dash of milk and brush over the top of the scones, to give a golden colour. Place in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes until golden.
- Leave to cool and then serve with whipped cream and strawberry jam.
#Accessibility (image description: on a dark background we can see a scone, it is filled with deep red strawberry jam and cream. The jam is dripping down one side of the scone and the cream is on top, the scone is golden brown and quite tall.)