Scones

Photos courtesy of Nikki Rajala

Scones are the second part of afternoon cream tea. Pronounced “scawns,” in England they’re mid-sized and light — vehicles for jam and the fabulous clotted cream mentioned in yesterday’s blog posting.

In comparison, scones in the U.S. are almost a dessert of their own — large, quite sweet and often densely flavored with fruit, candied ginger or other ingredients. 

Admittedly, I prefer the sweeter versions if I’m only adding butter. But with fabulous clotted cream and jam, who needs the extra sugar?

These scones are simple to make and best eaten the day they were made.

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. butter

1/3 cup milk (soured with a teaspoon of lemon juice), plus 2 tsp. milk for glaze

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Stir the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the mixture until it’s crumbly. Add milk and vanilla to flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Place dough on a floured surface and knead gently for a minute. Then roll or pat it into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. With a knife, cut into triangles about 3 inches on a side. Brush the tops with milk and place on the baking sheet.

Bake about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Remove and transfer to the wire rack to cool.

Yield: about 6 scones

To serve, split the scones and spread them with a large spoonful of clotted cream and a thick layer of jam, in the order that pleases you. My English pen pal noted that in Devonshire, cream is layered on the scone before the jam; in Cornwall, it’s the other way around. I dolloped one scone-half each way and found both incredibly delicious pleasures.

Raspberry or strawberry jams are traditional choices. My best friend’s orange marmalade was equally enticing.

Here is Sue’s own recipe for Sweet Scones, which makes 9 scones.

Mix together 8 oz. self-rising flour (about 1 2/3 cups) and 1/2 tsp. baking powder. Then rub in 1 oz. butter (2 tbsp.) until it resembles crumbs. Add 1 oz. caster sugar (1/4 cup superfine granulated sugar, not confectioner’s sugar). Mix together with 1/4 pint (1/2 cup) milk into a soft dough. Roll or pat out until 1/2-inch thick, then cut into circles and place on a baking tray. Glaze the tops with egg yolk or milk. Bake for 8-10 minutes in oven 220°C or gas 7 (at 425°F) until risen and golden. Cool on a wire tray. Serve with clotted cream and raspberry jam.

Tomorrow — a cup of tea… NLR

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”

Henry James in “The Portrait of a Lady”