Recipe XXX - English Scones

On my 11th recipe, I made some buttermilk scones, and although they were pretty okay, I wanted to revisit this recipe with the true method because it's such a quintessential part of the fabric of English culinary tradition. As I'm invited to a gathering this afternoon at www.cordue.eu in Portz and she asked me to bring along something sweet, I wanted to take something they definitely won't have on their table! Scones are, in fact, pretty much not sweet at all - more like bread, they go together with whipped (or clotted) cream and jam, but butter and jam are also fine.

Ingredients (makes 8 to 10):
300g ordinary flour
1 tbsp baking powder (not yeast!)
200ml milk (add more if necessary)
A knob of butter for the baking tray
1 egg for the mixture
1 egg for glazing
A little extra flour for kneading
Extras:
(some raisins)
(some cinnamon)



Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 220°C.
Take a large bowl and put in your flour, baking powder, egg and milk. Mix them all together until it forms a thick consistency.



Tip it out onto a well-floured surface and knead for a few minutes until it becomes a dough.



Put the raisins on top in an even spread and fold the dough over once. This ensures they will not fall out of the scones.



Using the butter, grease the baking tray. Roll out the dough to about 1.5cm to 2cm thick and using a round edge (I used a glass with a diameter of 5cm) cut them into circles and place them on the baking tray. Glaze them by brushing them with the other egg. Sprinkle a little sugar on top if you wish. Place them in the oven for about 8 minutes.



I cooked two batches, and the in the second batch I didn't add any raisins, but I did add cinnamon. In the photo above, the nine in the middle are with raisins and the ones with cinnamon round the outside, are darker.

Recipe XXI - Buttermilk Scones

Although the making of these did not provide many truly good photogenic moments, the results were most satisfying. This is a particularly simple recipe, and took less than an hour from beginning to end.




Ingredients:
300g self-raising flour + extra for kneading
60g COLD butter in blocks + extra for the greasing the baking tray
45g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
300ml buttermilk
A drop of milk for glazing
A handful of sultanas and/or raisins


Instructions:
Warm the oven to about 220°C.
Whilst it is heating up, take the flour, butter, baking powder and sugar, and work them into a crumbly consistency.



Add the raisins and the buttermilk, and mix it in vigorously until the whole thing becomes a doughy mixture. If it is still runny, add more flour until the mixture does not fall off a spoon.



Take your baking tray and grease it with some butter. Then take a large spoonful of your mixture and flick it onto the baking tray. Feel free to make adjustments to its shape. I didn't, but it is just a matter of preference.
Again, as a matter of preference, you may want to glaze the surface of the scones before baking, but I didn't.



Put the baking tray in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.



As usual, serve with butter or whipped cream and jam. Enjoy!