Nothing like a freshly baked scone topped with a generous blob of jam and clotted cream on top. And a good cup of English tea. I mean seriously, what else one could ask for?
Scones are one of the easiest baking treats you could possibly enjoy and one that can truly enhance any breakfast, brunch, coffee morning or afternoon tea.
Yes, you heard it right!
Scones are not as hard to make as you might think. With just a handful basic ingredients and a few little tips, you can bake perfectly flaky, buttery, light and super delicious scones at your home. Just like the ones that tease you from the pastry case of your favourite cafe !
What ingredients do you need ?
Very basic!
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- egg
- milk
- vinegar
- sugar
- any flavouring of your choice
What to keep in mind while making scones?
The two secrets to perfectly baked scones are:
- not to overwork the dough
- allow the dough to chill before baking
Can you freeze scones?
Yes. The dough freezes nicely to be made in later on. Make the dough, brush with egg yolk, sprinkle sugar, cut into wedges and then, transfer onto freezer tray, wrap with cling film and allow to freeze. Then, seal in a freezer bag.
When needed, bake without defrosting, increasing the baking time to 10 min.
Can you make other flavors?
Absolutely! Here are some of my favourites:
- Blueberry Scones (1 cup blueberries + few drops of vanilla)
- Chocolate Chip Scones (1 cup mini chocolate chips)
- Orange Scones (2 tablespoons orange zest)
- Cinnamon Scones (replace white sugar with brown sugar + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
How to eat scones?
The traditional way to eat scones is with a good preserve (traditionally strawberry) and clotted cream. Marmalade, whipped cream, chocolate spread, orange or lemon curd are some good alternatives!
Oh, and not to miss the English tea. One must ALWAYS serve a good cup of tea alongside the scones to get the full flavour. Ok, if you don´t like tea, coffee would work, too!
What are you waiting for? Print the recipe and fill your home with the smell of freshly baked scones!
If you get a chance to try these Cranberry Scones, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily) or tag @chef_on_rhine on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. Look forward to seeing what you whip up!
Cranberry Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 6 tsp fine sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- salt a pinch
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 egg size M
- 7 tbsp cold butter
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar optional
Instructions
- Combine milk and vinegar to make soured milk and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Sift flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add in sugar, vanilla sugar and salt.
- Cut the cold butter in cubes and rub in with the dry ingredients using your finger tips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Try to work quickly, few bigger lumps of butter are better than over mixing! Place in freezer for a few minutes if the mixture starts getting warm!
- Add in the soured milk and egg to the flour mixture. Combine all the ingredients with an electric mixer (dough-hooks on) just enough to form a dough. Again, if the dough feels sticky, place in freezer for a while!
- Also add in the cranberries and transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the dough in half.
- Stack the two halves on each other and press down with your hands.
- Again cut the dough in half and stack the two parts on each other. Pat down and repeat the procedure one more time.
- Form the dough into a rectangle (about 2,5 cm thick and 6 cm in width).
- Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle extra sugar on top.
- Cut into small triangles. Transfer to the freezer for 10 min.
- Bake in preheated oven at 200 C for 20 - 25 minutes until golden and slightly crispy on top.
Notes
- Do not overwork the dough at any cost.
- To ensure that the butter doesn't start melting and incorporating in the dough, transfer the dough to the freezer whenever necessary.
- You can freeze the unbaked scones lined on a tray, then transfer in to a freezer bag to save space.
- No need to defrost the frozen dough, you can directly bake the frozen scones. Make sure to reduce the oven temperature to 170 C and increase the baking time to 10 more min.
- Each oven works differently. Adjust the baking time accordingly but try not to overbake the scones!
