Making the Perfect Scone
Blog Entry: Thursday 22 Apr 2010
But finding the perfect scone can be tricky, especially as they are best served fresh and hot out the oven, smothered in melting butter. The best solution is to make them yourself at home, but once again, creating the perfect scone can be just as tricky.
Guardian food blogger Felicity Cloake set out to experiment how to make a scrumptious scone from scratch. Experimenting with several different recipes and foolproof scone tips, she tried everything from excessively kneading the dough, not kneading at all, substituting baking powder with bicarbonate of soda, to even leaving out the eggs altogether.
After some lengthy scone tasting sessions, Felicity was finally won over by the National Trust recipe – light and fluffy and fit for a Queen.
Give the recipe a try in honour of St George’s Day and let us know if you agree!
Ingredients:
350g self-raising flour, sifted
50g butter, softened
50g lard, softened
100-115ml milk
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Grease two baking trays.
2. Rub the fats into the flour, working as quickly and lighty as possible with cold hands. Add enough milk to give a soft, bread-like dough.
3. On a floured board, roll out to a thickness of 1.5cm and cut into rounds with 6cm cutter.
4. Place on the prepared trays and bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden and well risen. Remove from the oven and lift on to a wire rack to cool.
Take a look at Felicity’s experiment at the Guardian.co.uk.
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