I have really fond memories of going to a cafe with my Great Grandmother and having delicious baked potatoes, followed by warm scones with jam and cream. I've tried making scones a number of times but they never really worked out how I wanted them to - until I found this recipe!
These scones are delightfully fluffy, tasty even without condiments, and easy to whip up in the morning (or whenever you want fresh scones!)
Recipe adapted from: American Test Kitchen via Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients
280g flour
15g (1 tbsp) baking powder
40g white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
70g chilled butter, cut into cubes about the size of a fingertip
235mL thickened cream
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 215C (425F).
2. Place the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few times to combine. (If you want to make these by hand, Smitten Kitchen has instructions).
3. Add the cubes of butter to the top of the flour and pulse until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs. You still want to see little lumps of butter in there.
4. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and pour the cream in. Combine the cream with the flour mixture using cutting motions with a knife, fork or spatula until a dough begins to form.
5. Pour the dough out onto a clean, dry work surface and knead by hand until the dough comes together into a rough ball. Don't overwork the dough!
6. Shape the dough into a circle about 20cm diameter. I just pat it out with my hand.
7. Place the dough onto a baking tray lined with a silicon mat/baking paper. Cut the circle into wedges and separate the wedges a little bit so they have room to expand while baking.
Of course, you can also use cookie cutters to make circles, or cut them into squares. I just use the wedge method because it's the easiest and there's no offcuts of dough to re-roll.
8. Bake the scones for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are nicely golden brown.
9. Let the scones cool for a few minutes then enjoy! They're best when they're still fresh and warm from the oven. I like to eat mine with jam.
