Something we long associate with a cup of tea. A tasty treat at any time of the day. When I think of scones I think about my earliest foray into baking when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I think they were one of the first things we learned to bake at school. I remember the thrill of baking my first scones and bringing them home on the bus to my Mum. We had them with butter, jam and a pot of tea. She was delighted to have her daughter to cook for her at last! Mum was always very encouraging of any of my cooking or baking. She is a great cook herself and treated us to lots of lovely home cooked food.
These can be served with butter and jam or as a treat with whipped cream and jam.
There is nothing like sitting down to fresh scones and a cup of tea.
Pre heat oven to 220ºc / 428ºf 450g / 1 lb Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
60g / 2oz Caster Sugar (optional)
115g / 4oz Cold Diced Butter
300ml / 10.5floz Milk
Sift the self raising flour, salt and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and stir in the caster sugar. Rub the diced butter in lightly until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and enough milk to moisten.
Mix until it has a soft doughy texture - it should't be too moist, do not over-handle the dough. Tip onto a floured surface and roll out to about 3cm (just over 1 inch) thickness.
Cut out scones with a round cutter and re-roll remaining dough to make the last of your scones. Place scones on a greased baking tray - they like to be close together - it helps them to rise.
Brush egg wash over the tops and sprinkle with a little sugar if you wish! Put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until golden and risen.
When ready remove from oven.