Ultimate Scones
In this delightful recipe, you'll create wonderfully light and fluffy scones that are perfect for a cozy afternoon tea. The simple ingredients come together to form a soft, slightly sticky dough that bakes up beautifully golden in the oven. Enjoy these scones warm with a dollop of strawberry jam and a generous serving of clotted cream for an indulgent treat that's sure to impress.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 225g self-raising flour , preferably organic
- ¼ tsp salt
- 50g slightly salted butter , chilled, cut in small pieces
- 25g golden caster sugar
- 125ml buttermilk
- 4 tbsp full-fat milk
- a little extra flour for dusting
- strawberry jam and clotted cream, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7/fan 200C and lightly butter a baking sheet (unless you’re using a non-stick sheet). Tip the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt. Shoot in the butter, then rub together with your fingers to make a reasonably fine crumbed mixture, lifting to aerate the mixture as you go. Try not to overrub, as the mixture will be lighter if it’s a little bit flaky. Now stir in the sugar.
- Measure the buttermilk, then mix in the milk to slacken it. Make a bit of a well in the middle of the flour mixture with a round-bladed knife, then pour in most of this buttermilk mixture, holding a little bit back in case it’s not needed. Using the knife, gently work the mixture together until it forms a soft, almost sticky, dough. Work in any loose dry bits of mixture with the rest of the buttermilk. Don’t overwork at this point or you will toughen the dough.
- Lift the ball of soft dough out of the bowl and put it on to a very lightly floured surface. Knead the mixture just 3-4 times to get rid of the cracks.
- Pat the dough gently with your hands to a thickness of no less than 2cm and no more than 2.5cm. Dip a 5.5cm round fluted cutter into a bowl of flour – this helps to stop the dough sticking to it, then cut out the scones by pushing down quickly and firmly on the cutter with the palm of your hand – don’t twist it.You will hear the dough give a big sigh as the cutter goes in. Gather the trimmings lightly then pat and cut out a couple more scones.
- Place on the baking sheet and sift over a light dusting of flour or glaze if you wish. Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack, uncovered if you prefer crisp tops, or covered loosely with a cloth for soft ones.
- Serve with strawberry jam and a generous mound of clotted cream (Cornish people put jam first, then cream, Devonians the other way round). Eat them as fresh as you can.
Yield
Serves 5 - 6
Nutrition
- Calories: 262 calories
- Fat Content: 9 grams fat
- Saturated Fat Content: 6 grams saturated fat
- Carbohydrate Content: 42 grams carbohydrates
- Sugar Content: 5 grams sugar
- Fiber Content: 1 grams fiber
- Protein Content: 5 grams protein
- Sodium Content: 0.9 milligram of sodium
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