Scones

Scones are a simple favorite food item found in fetes, church events and most social gatherings the world over.

They are also referred to as a British quickbread and originated in Scotland during the 1500's

Originally scones were round and flat, about the same size as a small plate and were fried on a girdle.

The modern scone resembles a small cake, is baked rather than fried  and can be found in practically all bakeries and supermarkets in some form throughout the western world.

Scones can be plain or contain an assortment of sultanas, raisins, blueberries, raspberries dates, etc and even chocolate. They can also be topped with such ingredients as bacon, cheese and onions.

They are typically enjoyed during a morning or afternoon  break, with a cup of tea or coffee and eaten either with butter, jam and cream.

Other varieties of scone such as potato or pumpkin are also popular in countries around the world.

Main ingredients in plain sultana scones

(1 cup = 250ml)
2 cups of self raising flour
30 grams of butter
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup or more of sultanas
150 ml of milk
1 egg

Firstly, pour 2 cups of self raising flour into a large bowl.

Then pour 1/2 a cup or more of sultanas onto a plate and sprinkle a tablespoon of flour over them. Mix the flour throughout the sultanas. This will stop the sultanas from sticking or melting together when they are baked.

Next add 1/4 of a cup of sugar into the bowl.

Then add 30 grams of butter or margarine into the bowl.

Then mix all the ingredients together. By hand is ok if you don't want to use a mixer.

After mixing the ingredients together, add the flour coated sultanas to the mix and continue mixing.

Next put 150ml of milk in a cup. Then add a raw egg into the cup and stir, mixing the milk and egg thoroughly together.

Then either pour some of the milk and egg liquid into another glass or bowl or keep some in the current cup.

Pour the majority into the bowl and mix all the ingredients together. By hand is ok.

If the mixture is a little wet, as in our case add some flour. If it is a little dry then add some milk. Experience will tell you when you have the right texture.

Next prepare a flat surface, either cutting board like we're using here or table, and sprinkle some flour on it to stop the scone mixture from sticking to you and the working surface.

Next put the mixture onto the working surface and knead the mixture together into a consistent mass.

Next, either grease a baking pan, like we are doing here or place baking paper at the base of a baking pan to stop the scones from sticking to the pan during baking.

Next, take a round, or square item, in this case we are using a cup and cut out individual scone pieces from the mass of scone dough.

It should be noted that at this point it is ok simply to bake the whole mass in one lump, then cut off individual pieces after the mass has been baked. This is referred to as a scone loaf  (like a loaf of bread)

Using a cup like this ensures a consistent round size for all the scones.

Place the scones into the baking pan.

As you can see, with this size cup and this amount of ingredients we can make 6 large scones.

The last thing to do is to take the left over milk/egg liquid and using a spoon or other item glaze or coat the scones with the milk/egg liquid. 

Top