cheftallyrand's Articles

What is a scone? Where did they originate? For a brief history of the humble scone - http://www.dawlish.com/article/details/93

for other scone recipes click on the links below

easy peasy plain   http://www.dawlish.com/article/details/65

savoury                http://www.dawlish.com/article/details/66

three cheese         http://www.dawlish.com/article/details/67

sweet with fruits   http://www.dawlish.com/article/details/68

1. pre-heat oven to 220C  
2. sieve the flour and baking powder together twice
3. grate the butter into the flour (grated the butter, rather than cutting into cubes makes it far easir to rub the hard butter into the flour without overworking the dough) - see chef notes below
4. using your fingertips only rub the butter into the flour until a breadcrumb texture is achieved 
5. sprinkle in the sugar and stir with a knife
6. beat the egg and milk together (buttermilk is best if available) pour all but approx. 2tbs into the previous mixture
7. using a table knife mix together to form a basic dough
8. once all the ingredients have come together, turn out onto a floured work surface and knead gently, just enough to thoroughly combine (do not overwork) a little more flour may be needed if excessively sticky, or the remaining egg if too dry
9. roll out (or pat out with the hands) until the dough is approx 2cm thick
10. cut with a 6cm round cutter, (see chef notes below) gently, recombining mixture and re-roll if needed to cut out further scones - the amounts stated above should make a 8 to 10 scones 
11. gently lift and transfer onto a non stick tray
12. allow the scones to sit and rest for 15 to 30 minutes prior to baking 
13. bake for approx. 12 minutes until golden brown (may be brushed with the remaining egg mix and dusted with flour) just before removing 
14. remove and place onto a wired cooling rack

chef notes

the science behind good scone production is closely following the above amounts and method 

• sieving the flour and baking powder together has nothing to do with removing lumps, but instead is about aerating the flour. I always sieve mine three times
• using well chilled or frozen butter prevents the butter from melting when handled, melted butter will produce a heavy, textured scone
• initially mixing with a table knife helps to prevent overworking and warming the mixture (which develops the gluten strands and toughens the scones) 
• when cutting the scones out push the cutter quickly down and vertically, do not twist. Twisting will seal the edges, preventing the scones from rising nicely
• resting the scones prior to baking does two things
  • it allows the mixture to rest and the gluten strands to relax, preventing tough scones
  • it commences the rising process prior to baking, making the scones lighter

variations 

the recipe can easily be added to, to produce fruit scones or the sugar omitted for savoury scones and simply adding the extra ingredients before the egg mixture 

• for fruit scones
  • currants
  • sultanas
  • chopped dates
  • chocolate chips
  • etc 

• for savoury scones
  • grated cheese
  • finely chopped onions or spring onions
  • minced garlic
  • pesto
  • chopped sundried tomatoes
  • chopped olives 
  • etc