Treat Someone to Home-Cooked Scones This Weekend

I love a scone!  There is something uniquely comforting about it. It’s the smell from the oven, the clotted cream and jam and getting together for a cup of tea - it feels like a real treat. If you’re looking for a way to treat a loved one, friend, or even yourself this weekend, this is the way to do it - they are affordable and simple to make with mainly storecupboard ingredients.  They are also a great thing for kids of all ages to make as they are a really hands-on bake with no sharp knives.

What's even better is that we have a FREE COOKALONG TUTORIAL that you can sign up to so that your scones come out perfectly.  There are no strings attached and you don't have to enter any payment details - you can just sign up and have a go.

Pro-Tips for the Perfect Rise

• You should be able to handle the dough but it should be fairly sticky so pop a bit of flour on the worksurface and on your hands and go for it.  The moisture in the dough will give you a good rise.
• Handle the dough as little as possible as the more you handle the dough, the more you develop the gluten and the tougher the scones will be. The colder the butter and the lighter the touch, the better the scone.
• Keep them nice and thick.  Make no more than 6 scones from this quantity (or double the recipe if you want more scones) and don't roll them out too thin (keep the dough at least 3cm thick when you cut it out).

LETS MAKE SCONES

Ingredients

• 225g self raising flour
• pinch of salt 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 55g cold butter
• For sweet scones: 1 tbsp caster sugar
• Optional Extras: handful of sultanas / 100g grated cheese (mature cheddar works well)
• 115 ml milk 

• To serve: butter, jam, clotted cream

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200*c fan. Flour or line a baking sheet.
• Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Chop the butter into cubes and rub it into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. 
• Stir in the sugar if you are using it and add the sultanas or grated cheese if you are using them.
• Measure out 115ml milk. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the milk and bring it all together to form a soft, fairly wet dough.
• Tip it out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly press out the dough to about 2.5cm / 1 inch thick. Dip the pastry cutter in some flour to stop it sticking, then stamp out rounds, making sure that you press straight down and do not twist the cutter.
• Brush the scones with egg for a glossy, firm crust, brush with milk for a lighter crust or simply sprinkle with flour.
• Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 12-15 minutes until the scones are well risen and golden. Cool on a rack and serve fresh with butter, jam and clotted cream.  

Inspired by your Scone Success? 

If mastering the perfect scone has given you a taste for more, why stop there? Join The Round Table and let’s turn that spark of inspiration into a lifelong skill.

Whether you come to us in one of our courses, or subscribe to The Round Table Recipe Bank, we don’t just give you a list of ingredients - we walk you through the Skills and Theory of every recipe. Our pre-recorded cookalongs show you exactly what your dish or bake should look and feel like, so you can cook with total confidence every single time.