Video recipe: how to make perfect scones

Scones are definitely my favourite tea-time treat. The recipe I’m sharing with you today makes tender, fluffy  scones with a slightly crunchy crust.

Lightly sweet, scones are irresistible served  warm, with a dollop of  clotted cream and some strawberry (or raspberry) jam, but  since clotted cream has a 55% fat content you may want to go easy on it, and reserve it for special occasions.  Most of the times I simply add dried fruit to the dough and eat my scones as they are, with no extra butter.

Lately I’ve been talking with a friend who’s learning to cook;  she told me that baking really intimidates her, and that she never attempts to bake because she’s afraid she’d mess the recipe up…My mum used to regularly bake  cakes and cookies; baking comes easy to me because I’ve seen how things are done since I was a little girl, and I’ve been baking for ages.

I realise though that some people are not familiar with baking, so  I made a video showing each step of the recipe. This is the first time I record myself while baking, and I know that I have LOTS to learn, so please be gentle….you can find the video after the recipe. See with your own eyes how easy it is to make scones; give the recipe a try and  find out how delicious scones are!

Tips & Notes

• When you add dried fruit to the recipe, scones are called “fruit scones”.  Serve your “plain” scones warm, split in half, with butter, clotted cream, softly whipped cream or even mascarpone cheese, and jam. You can serve fruit scones with just butter, or eat them as they are.
• If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own: just add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to 150 ml of lukewarm milk and let stand for about 5 minutes to let the milk  thicken and curdle.
• If you want, you can substitute buttermilk with milk or  fresh cream. You can also use a lightly beaten egg and add milk (or cream) until you get 150 ml of liquid. The texture and taste of your scones will vary slightly depending on the kind of liquid you use, so you may want to experiment to see which one you prefer.
• If you prefer your scones to have a soft crust, once you take them out of the oven wrap them in a clean tea towel instead of placing them onto a wire rack – the tea towel will trap the steam from the hot scones and make them softer.
• Scones are best eaten the same day, but they freeze very well; just wrap each scone tightly with aluminium foil, or place in a freezer plastic bag.

Happy Baking!

Scones

makes 8-10 scones, depending on the size of your pastry cutter

250 gr plain (all-purpose) flour  (8.8 oz.)

30 gr caster sugar (1 oz.)

1 pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

40 gr unsalted butter, cold (1.4 oz.)

150 ml buttermilk (about 10 tablespoons)

Optional: 70 gr dried fruit: raisins, sultana, or currants (2.5 oz.)

• Preheat the oven to 200° C (390° F)
• Sieve all the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl: flour, sugar, salt, cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda.
• Dice the butter into small cubes and rub it into the dry mix using your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until the mix resemble coarse bread crumbs.
• Add the dried fruit to the mix, if using.
• Pour the buttermilk into the dry mixture and stir it in using a fork until combined, but don’t overmix.
• Dust your work surface with some flour, gather the dough and place it onto the work surface. Knead lightly four or five times, then pat into a disk and roll it with a rolling pin to 3 cm (1.2 inches) thickness.
• Cut the dough into rounds using a pastry cutter. Gather the off-cuts of dough, press them together and repeat until all scones are cut.
• Place the scones onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush the top of each scone with some milk, then bake until  golden brown (from 13 t0 18 minutes, depending on your oven).
• Remove from the oven and place onto a wire rack to cool lightly, then serve the scones with butter, clotted cream or softly whipped cream and jam.
• Scones are best eaten the same day; if you have some left, cover with kitchen foil and store in an airtight container for a day.  Scones  also freeze well and keep for 2-3 months in the freezer, just wrap them closely with aluminium foil, or place them in a freezer plastic bag, and freeze.

I love reading your comments, so please let me know if you enjoyed this post,  if you tried the recipe, or if you have any question about the recipe.

To receive your free updates, subscribe to Positively Beauty here.

You’ll also receive a free copy of my e-book “Sweet Delights – 21 recipes for mouthwatering handmade gifts”.

Thank you and…happy baking!

Tagged as: recipe, scones, video recipe