English Scones Food

ENGLISH SCONES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in raisins. Beat milk and egg; add to dry ingredients, stirring lightly. , Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll to 1-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Bake at 425° until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

ENGLISH CREAM SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Combine dry ingredients.
• Cut in shortening with two knives or a pastry blender until mixture has the consistency of coarse cornmeal.
• Set aside. Reserve a little of the egg whites (to brush over tops of scones) and beat eggs until light. Stir in milk.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and add liquid all at once, stirring with a fork vigorously until dough comes freely from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat dough out to 3/4-inch thickness.
• Cut into 8 triangles or squares or form into "biscuits".
• Brush tops with egg whites and sprinkle generously with sugar.
• place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until tops are golden.
• Variations: Raisin Scones Add to dry ingredients 1/2 cup seedless raisins, currants, Craisins or other fruits (fresh blueberries or raspberries, apple chunks etc). Cheese Scones Reduce sugar to 1 tsp Add 1 cup of shredded sharp cheese to dry ingredients.
• Do Not sprinkle with sugar before baking.

ENGLISH SCONES

Steps:

• Combine flour and baking powder.
• Cut in the butter until crumbly and butter is pea-sized or smaller.
• Stir in the sugar and salt.
• Stir in the milk.
• Stick the dough together and turn out on a lightly floured surface.
• Knead 4-5 times and roll out to 3/4 inch thick.
• Using a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many scones as you can. Gather the scraps and roll out again. Cut out as many scones as you can. With the remaining scraps, form a ball and gently cut an "X" on the top.
• Place all scones on an un-greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with an egg wash.
• Bake at 450F fro 8-12 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

CLASSIC SCONES WITH JAM & CLOTTED CREAM

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the self-raising flour into a large bowl with ¼ tsp salt and the baking powder, then mix.
• Add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the caster sugar.
• Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 secs until warm, but not hot. Add the vanilla extract and a squeeze of lemon juice, then set aside for a moment.
• Put a baking tray in the oven. Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife - it will seem pretty wet at first.
• Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it's a little smoother. Pat into a round about 4cm deep. Take a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. You may need to press what's left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four.
• Brush the tops with a beaten egg, then carefully arrange on the hot baking tray. Bake for 10 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and clotted cream. If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a low oven (about 160C/140C fan/gas 3) for a few minutes to refresh.

BLUEBERRY ENGLISH SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F Grease a baking tray or line the baking tray with parchment paper.
• Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the blueberries.
• Add the milk and mix to make a smooth dough (you may not need all of the milk). Knead lightly for ten seconds on a lightly floured surface. Roll to about 3/4" thick and either cut into individual scones or cut into wedges.
• Bake for approximately 8-12 minutes.

ENGLISH PLAIN SCONES

Steps:

• Put the flour and salt in a bowl then rub in the butter.
• Add the sugar.
• Add the milk and mix to form a dough. You may want to mix with a knife as the dough gets very sticky as you add the milk.
• Flour a board ready for the dough. EXTRA TIP: Using rice flour on your board at this stage will make your scones wonderfully crisp on the outside.
• Knead the dough lightly on the board.
• Roll with floured rolling pin (or press with your hand) the dough to about 2cm thick.
• Cut rounds from the dough with a cutter (or use a glass with edges dipped in flour if you don't have a round cutter).
• Place the rounds on greaseproof paper lightly dusted with flour on a baking sheet/tray. Or use a greased tray.
• Gather up the odd bits of dough and lightly knead them together. Press/roll to 2cm thick again on your floured board, cut rounds and repeat until all the dough is used.
• Optional: Brush the tops of the scones with a little bit of milk.
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes until they have risen and start to become golden. Gas mark 7, 220c.