Wednesday 10 April 2013

Simple scones

Whenever I'm asked to take a plate along to a casual social outing, my mind immediately jumps to scones.

They're the ultimate munching food really - plain enough that you can flavour them however you want, yet tasty enough that you could eat them on your own if you desire.

I have many happy memories associated with scones and a hot beverage, and I think most everyone likes a well made scone.  Also, I always think it's nice to put a little bit of effort in and take something home baked when possible (and appropriate).

My scone recipe is based off Bill Granger's recipe which can be found in his book Bill's Food.
I like this recipe because of the simplicity - there are only a handful of ingredients, which I always have on hand, and it's easy and quick to mix up a batch and have them ready for nomming twenty minutes later. The original recipe calls for milk and butter but its easy to substitute those with plant based alternatives and have no one the wiser.
  • 1 tablespoon icing sugar
  • 2.5 cups flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 30g butter (I use nuttelex)
  • 1 cup milk (soy or almond work nicely)
That's it. Sift the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ones. Mix lightly and quickly then use a glass to cut shapes approximately 2.5cm high by 5cm thick. Bake 8-10 minutes at 220C then serve warm with your choice of condiments.

Tips for awesome scones:
  • Don't over mix the dough. Use a knife to combine things and try to handle it as little as possible so your scones are light and airy
  • Use a warm baking tray. While the oven is warming up, I put the tray in and only remove it once I have the scones ready for baking
  • Place the scones together on the tray so they are touching each other. This makes them rise beautifully as they have nowhere to go but up
The scones below are a batch I whipped up (while Ellie was napping) to take for morning tea with my mothers group today. I served them with a choice of plum or strawberry jam and they were a hit (just quietly). I wish I'd gotten a picture when they were prettily plated but they were nommed much too quickly.
What about you? Do you have a go-to baking recipe for sharing with friends?

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