Scones

Whip up some of these tasty and easy scones for afternoon tea.

Scones Are A Delicious Treat

There’s really nothing better than a fresh scone with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee.

I’ve always loved scones, but never had much success in making them. The dough would run the gamut from a sticky, unworkable mess to being too thin to shape. So, I used to buy them from the bakery.

Until I found the right recipe, I almost gave up. So, I decided to try it one last time to see if it would turn out successfully; it did.

The British Know Scones

The best bet with any recipe that originates outside of the USA is to go right to the source. Since the Brits are known for scones, I started there.

I wasn’t wrong because these turned out perfectly! The dough is a little sticky, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be–a little sticky not like glue.

Making scones is very much like making biscuits. That’s not strange since they are related. Just knead a few times and that’s it. Resist the urge to overwork the dough because this is a quick bread and not a yeast dough where the gluten must be activated.

I had fluted tart cutters so I used one about 2-inches/5 cm, but you can just shape into a disk and cut in sections like a pie. Or do a square and cut like brownies.

To Get It Right

Since baking is very much like a chemical formula that relies on precise measurements, I have taken to weighing ingredients when I bake now. You get consistent results every time if you do. In fact, anything that uses flour will be more accurate if you weigh it. Since flour can be measured into cups multiple ways–and they all will have different weights–using a scale is best. As I tell people, a cup of flour can have different weights but 450 g/1 lb is always 450 g/1 lb.

A kitchen scale is inexpensive and useful for other things, so you might want to consider buying one. I have an Escali and it cost about $10. One of the best investments I ever made.

The Recipe

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Scones

Scones are easy to make and are a tea-time treat

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: authenitic scones, easy scone recipe, scones

Servings: 12 (approximate)

Calories: 250kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 lb self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 oz unsalted butter cut in small pieces
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• milk
• 3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425F/220C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
• Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Work in the butter so the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
• Beat the eggs in a measuring cup and whisk in enough milk to get 10 oz total. You may not need the entire amount.
• Add the milk/egg mixture in small amounts until you get a soft and slightly sticky dough. Any egg/milk mixture can be used to brush the tops of the scones before baking, so reserve it.
• Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times then place the dried fruit on top and knead it into the dough.
• Pat the dough out to about 3/4-inch/2 cm thickness and cut with a 2-inch/5 cm biscuit cutter. Repeat the patting and cutting until you use up the dough.
• Place on prepared sheets and brush with reserved egg/milk mixture. If there was no mixture left over, use a bit of heavy cream.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown and raised nicely.

Notes

Weighing is preferable to using cup measures. One pound of self-rising flour is APPROXIMATELY equal to 3 1/2 cups.

Nutrition calculated using a 2-inch tart cutter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1scone | Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 15mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 246IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg

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