Scones
Ingredients
- 350 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 75 g cold butter, cubed
- 50 g sugar
- 150 ml milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- clotted cream and jam, to serve
A proper British scone relies on cold butter rubbed into self-raising flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, minimal handling, and a hot oven, so the scones rise tall and stay light rather than tough. Served warm at the center of a cream tea, split and spread with jam and clotted cream — Cornish style puts jam first, Devonshire style puts the cream first.
Method
Whisk the flour and baking powder together, then rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Stir in the sugar.
Make a well in the center and pour in the milk and most of the beaten egg, mixing quickly with a knife or bench scraper until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn out onto a floured surface and pat gently to about 2cm thick — handle as little as possible.
Cut into rounds with a floured cutter and place on a lined tray.
Brush the tops with the remaining egg.
Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden.
Serve warm, split, with clotted cream and jam.
Ingredients
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 1 rounded tsp baking powder
- 40 g butter, softened
- 25 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- About 100 ml milk
- Strawberry jam and clotted or whipped cream, to serve
Mary Berry's scones are built for speed and lift: self-raising flour gets an extra rounded teaspoon of baking powder, the butter is rubbed in to fine crumbs, and the egg is topped up with milk to exactly 100 ml so the dough stays soft and slightly sticky. She pats rather than rolls the dough, stamps it out with a fluted cutter pushed straight down (twisting seals the edge and stops the rise), brushes the tops with the reserved egg-milk, and bakes them very hot for under ten minutes.
Method
Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan / 425°F) and lightly grease two baking trays.
Put the flour and baking powder in a large bowl, add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
Beat the egg in a measuring jug and add enough milk to bring it to 100 ml. Set aside a tablespoon of this for glazing.
Gradually stir the egg and milk into the dry ingredients until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough — do not overwork it.
Turn out onto a floured surface and pat the dough out to about 2 cm thick. Stamp out rounds with a 4 cm fluted cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Gather and pat out the trimmings for more scones.
Arrange on the trays and brush the tops with the reserved egg and milk.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until well risen and golden brown, then cool on a wire rack.
Serve split, with strawberry jam and clotted cream.
