For morning or afternoon tea, nothing beats the taste and aroma of freshly cooked scones. The following instructions will ensure that your scones are light and fluffy every time.
Ingredients
3 cups self raising flour
1 cup milk
80 grams butter
Extra flour for kneading
Extra milk for glazing
Makes 12
Scones always turn out better when the perishable ingredients are at room temperature. If you have the time (and if you remember), leave your butter and milk out for about an hour before you start.
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
Place the flour and butter in a mixing bowl and combine with your fingertips until the mixture resembles
fine bread crumbs.
From this moment on, you will want to limit your handling of the dough as much as possible, as over handling will result in a tough, hard scone.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and butter mixture and add the milk all at once. Use the back of a bread and butter knife to fold the mixture together. You may need to add a little milk or a little flower to get the dough just right. It is ready when it forms a ball and can be picked up without sticking to your hands.
Gently
knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. About four or five times is enough. Then, using a rolling pin or your hand, flatten the dough out to a thickness of two or three centimetres.
Cut your scones out of the dough with a
scone cutter (if you do not have one, an egg cup is about the right size). Place them together on a tray lined with baking paper;
crowding them together will see them rise more. Brush with a
pastry brush dipped in milk and bake for about ten to twelve minutes.
To serve, remove from oven and wrap in a clean tea towel. Never cut scones with a knife – instead, break them in half.
For a different flavour, add a cup of sultanas, cheese or mixed herbs before adding the milk.
