INGREDIENTS
Making scones is so easy. You’ve probably got all the ingredients in your cupboard already.
To make 16 scones, you will need 4oz self-raising flour, a pinch of baking powder, 1oz unsalted butter, 1oz caster sugar and 3½oz liquid. If you want a light scone, use water. For a richer scone, use full-fat milk.
If you want fruit scones, add 2oz of whatever dried fruit you fancy – raisins, sultanas, currants, apricots or dried banana.
And, of course, you’ll need strawberry jam and clotted cream to serve with them. My favourite is Rodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream. Produced by the same family for 100 years, it’s sold in leading supermarkets and tastes divine.
METHOD
Put all the ingredients apart from the liquid into a mixing bowl. Using both hands, rub the mixture through your fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. This takes about six minutes.
Pour in the liquid and beat with a wooden spoon until you have a dough-like consistency. The secret is to mix as rapidly as you can with minimum handling. I f you handle too much, you risk overdeveloping the gluten, which will make the scones tough.
When you have a lump-free, dough-like mixture – after about four minutes – you’re done.