Scottish Scones

A traditional favourite for "Afternoon Tea", the humble scone has its origins in the villages of Scotland, but these days is just as likely to be served at luxury hotels like the Ritz!

The scone is the forerunner of the American biscuit, which is often served as a savoury side to fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, whereas the sweeter scone is traditionally served with butter, strawberry jam and clotted cream.




The American savoury variety are great as well; the best I have ever tasted were at the Drive Thru KFC in Paramaribo, Suriname, but I am sure they had put a few spoonfuls of salt in them!

There are also savoury variations of the scone, with anything from cheese, bacon and even spinach being added to transform the little cake into something completely different.

Probably the biggest dilemma is how to pronounce "scone"! Should it be pronounced like "gone" or like "cone". It seems there are regional variations on the pronunciation, with Scots more likely to pronounce scone like gone, while the Americans are more likely to pronounce it scone as in cone. Whichever way you wish to call it, they taste pretty good!!!

Ingredients 

(makes approx 24 scones)

500g self raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

100g cold butter

1 tsp salt

25g granulated sugar

300ml milk

1 egg beaten or milk to glaze

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Sieve the flour into a large bowl together with the salt, baking powder and sugar. Chop the butter (straight out the fridge) into small cubes and then mix this into the flour with your hands until it resembles rough breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the flour mixture and add the milk, little by little, mixing it round as you go. You should be left with a soft, springy dough. If the dough is a little bit too wet and sticky, add a little bit more flour but not too much.

Tip the dough mixture onto a lightly floured work surface, and roll it out gently using a rolling pin or straight glass to a thickness of about 2cm. Use a pastry cutter (or the edge of the glass) to cut out rounds of about 6cm wide.

Place the rounds on a greased baking tray, with space to breathe in between each scone. Brush each scone with a bit of beaten egg mixture or some milk. This will help them to get a nice golden brown colour.

Place the baking tray in the middle of the oven and bake for about 15 minutes.

The scones should rise nicely and get a golden brown colour on top.

Remove and serve as soon as they are cool enough to handle without burning yourself!

For a delicious afternoon tea, serve with butter and jam and a nice cuppa! If you wish to be fancy then use a teapot and cups and saucers and pretend you are at the Ritz! As for me, a mug of good tea (with milk and sugar, I'm no Philistine!) is perfect!

Enjoy!