Mummy's Sweet White Scones

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Makes 9-10 scones using a 7 1/2 cm (3 inch) cutter

450g (1lb/4 cups) plain white flour

75g (3oz/3/4 stick) butter

2 small free-range eggs

pinch of salt

25g (1oz/1/4 cup) castor sugar

1 heaped teaspoon plus 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder

200ml (7 floz/scant 1 cup) approx. milk to mix

Glaze

Egg Wash (see below)

crunchy Demerara sugar or coarse granulated sugar for coating the top of the scones

First preheat the oven to 250°C / 475°F / Gas Mark 9.

Sieve all the dry ingredients together in a large wide bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour and rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre. Whisk the eggs, put into a measure and add milk to bring the liquid up to 300ml (10fl oz/1 1/4 cups), add all but 2 tablespoons (2 1/2 American tablespoons) (save to egg wash the top of the scones to help them to brown in the oven) to the dry ingredients in one go and mix to a soft dough.

Turn out onto a floured worktop.  Don’t knead but shape just enough to make a round.  Roll out to about 2 1/2cm (1inch) thick and cut or stamp into scones.* Brush the tops with egg wash and dip each one in crunchy Demerara or coarse granulated sugar.

Put onto a baking tray – no need to grease.

Bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack.

Serve split in half with home made jam and a blob of whipped cream or just butter and jam.

* Top Tip – Stamp them out with as little waste as possible, the first scones will be lighter than the second rolling.

Fruit Scones

Add 50g (2oz) plump sultanas to the above mixture when the butter has been rubbed in. Continue as above.

Lexia Raisin and Rosemary Scones

Add 50g (2oz) Lexia raisins and 1/2 tablespoon (3/4 American tablespoon) chopped rosemary to the basic recipe and continue.

Cherry Scones

Add 50g (2oz) of quartered glacé cherries to the basic mixture when the butter has been rubbed in.  Continue as above.

Raisin Scones or Dried Cherry Scones

Substitute 50g (2oz) of raisins or dried cherries Continue as in master recipe.

Crystallized Ginger Scones

Add 50g (2oz) chopped crystallized or drained ginger in syrup to the dry ingredients and continue as above.

Candied Citrus Peel Scones

Add 50g (2oz) best quality candied orange and lemon peel to the dry ingredients after the butter has been rubbed in, coat the citrus peel well in the flour before adding the liquid.

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Cinnamon Scones – Sugar and Spice scones

Add 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients in the basic mixture.

Mix 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon with 25g (1oz) granulated sugar.  Dip the top of the scones in the sugar mixed with the cinnamon.   Bake as above.

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Poppy Seed Scones

Add 2 tablespoons (2 1/2 American tablespoons) of poppy seeds to the dry ingredients after the butter has been rubbed in, proceed as in basic recipe.

Serve with freshly crushed strawberries and cream

Chocolate Chip Scones

Chop 50g (2oz) best quality sweet chocolate, add to the dry ingredients after the butter has been rubbed in and proceed as above.

Strawberry, Raspberry or Blueberries Scones

Add 50g (2oz) of chopped fresh strawberries or whole raspberries or blueberries to the dry ingredients and increase the sugar by 10g (1/2oz).

Peach Scones

Add 2 sliced peaches to the dry ingredients and continue as above.

Coffee and Walnut or Pecan Scones

Add 50g (2oz) chopped walnuts or pecans to the basic recipe.  Cut into triangles.  When cool, ice with coffee icing (mix 110g (4oz/scant 1 cup) icing sugar with 1/2 tablespoon (3/4 American tablespoon) Irel coffee essence and 1 tablespoons (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) boiling water.

Scones with Orange Butter

Serve the freshly baked scones with orange butter.

Orange Butter

3 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

175g (6oz/1 3/4 sticks) butter

200g (7oz 1 3/4 cups) icing sugar

Cream the butter with the finely grated orange rind.  Add the sifted icing sugar and beat until fluffy.

Lemon Scones

Substitute lemon for orange in the above recipe.

White Chocolate and Raspberry Scones

Add 40g (1 1/2oz) roughly chopped white chocolate and 40g (1 1/2oz) of raspberries to the basic mixture when the butter has been rubbed in.  Continue as in master recipe.

Tracie’s Rosemary, Raisin, Pear and Cinnamon Crunch

To the basic dry ingredients add the following:

1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary chopped

1 handful raisins

1-2 poached pears (if pears are large use 1, if they are small use 2) cut up into nice bite sized chunks

Make scones as in master recipe.  Brush with egg wash and dip in granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground cinnamon.  Cook as in master recipe.

Mini Scones

Mini anything seems to have a special appeal so these little dotes disappear like hot cakes!

Follow the master recipes and roll 2cm (3/4 inch) thick, stamp out with a 4cm (1 3/4 inch) cutter.  Cook for 8-10 minutes

Rosemary and Ginger Scones

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly chopped rosemary and 2 teaspoons of freshly peeled and grated ginger to the dry ingredients and proceed as in master recipe.

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