Crunchy Scones Food

CRUMBLIEST SCONES

Steps:

• First and foremost, brilliant scones are about having the confidence to do as little as possible, so do what I say and they'll be really great; and the second and third time you make them you'll get the dough into a solid mass even quicker, even better.
• Put the dried fruit into a bowl and pour over just enough orange juice to cover. Ideally, leave it for a couple of hours. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
• Put your butter, flour, baking powder, sugar and a good pinch of sea salt into a mixing bowl and use your thumbs and forefingers to break up the butter and rub it into the flour so you get little cornflake-sized pieces. Make a well in the middle of the dough, add the eggs and milk, and stir it up with a spatula.
• Drain your soaked fruit and add that to the mixture. Add a tiny splash of milk if needed, until you have a soft, dry dough. Move it around as little as possible to get it looking like a scruffy mass - at this point, you're done. Sprinkle over some flour, cover the bowl with clingfilm and pop it into the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's about 2 to 3cm thick. With a 6cm round cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out circles from the dough and place them upside down on a baking sheet - they will rise better that way (so they say). Re-roll any offcuts to use up the dough.
• Brush the top of each scone with the extra milk or some melted butter and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until risen and golden. At that point, take them out of the oven and leave them to cool down a little.
• Serve with clotted cream and a little jam or lemon curd.

WORLD'S BEST SCONES! FROM SCOTLAND TO THE SAVOY TO THE U.S.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or rubbing between your fingers until it is in pea sized lumps. Stir in the currants. Mix together 1/2 cup milk and sour cream in a measuring cup. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients, and stir gently until well blended. Overworking the dough results in terrible scones!
• With floured hands, pat scone dough into balls 2 to 3 inches across, depending on what size you want. Place onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten lightly. Let the scones barely touch each other. Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Let them rest for about 10 minutes.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are golden brown, not deep brown. Break each scone apart, or slice in half. Serve with butter or clotted cream and a selection of jams - or even plain.

ULTIMATE SCONES

Steps:

• 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.

CRUNCHY YET MOIST SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven 220 degrees. Sprinkle flour over flat baking tray.
• Sift flour into medium bowl. Add sugar. Using your fingertips rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
• Add milk. Use a flat bladed knife to mix until dough begins to come together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until dough comes together.
• Flatten dough with the palm of your hand until 2cm thick. Use a 5cm cutter to cut out scones. Place onto baking tray 1cm apart. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until goldn and cooked through.
• Serve warm with Jam and Cream.

CRUNCHY SCONES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and preheat oven to 425.
• In food processor, pulse briefly flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• Drop in the cold butter and process until bread crumb texture.
• In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup heavy cream, egg, and orange zest.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and process, just until combined.
• Turn dough out on floured surface and gently knead in dried currants or cranberries if using.
• Pat dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick and transfer to cutting board.
• Brush top with remaining heavy cream, sprinkle with ground nutmeg and turbinado sugar.
• Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges and transfer to greased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are only slightly golden brown.
• Enjoy with fresh whipped cream and jam.

CRUNCHY CRUSTED CITRUS SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan oven 180C and grease a baking sheet. Tip the ricotta into a bowl and mix in the orange zest and half the sugar until combined. Sift the flour and remaining sugar into another bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour mixture so it looks like fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir the ricotta mixture into the flour mixture, adding a tablespoon or two of milk if necessary to get a soft (but not sticky) dough. Tip the dough on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly a few times only - just until the dough loses its craggy look. If you overknead, the scones will be tough.
• Roll or press out the dough until it's about 4cm/11⁄2in thick. Shape into a neat round, put it on the baking sheet and mark into six wedges with a knife.
• Brush the top of the scone round with milk, sprinkle with a little flour, then top with the demerara sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and brown on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving warm, spread with a little cream or butter, and lemon or orange curd. (These are best on the day of making, but will keep in an airtight container for 1-2 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.)