Scottish Scones For Tea

It's been a grey couple of days here in Edinburgh but Les Frenchies headed for Gullane Beach just outside Edinburgh in East Lothian anyway, for a bracing walk on the beach (rather than a summer sunbathe and swim kind of beach day) even if it is July! It's now raining and we're settling in for the evening with a chicken roasting in the oven. When they arrived home they were starving - after all that fresh sea air and an unfortunately disappointing lunch....

I had prepared a batch of scones ready for them straight out of the oven when they came through the door. On a trip to the Highlands the other day they came back describing a horrible stone like cake thing that they had eaten, and which had been dry and tasteless. After some interrogation I discovered they were talking about a scone! Now, the thing about scones is they are often too big, too dry and just not right. Especially when bought in shops. They can be claggy to eat and hard to swallow.

I make my scones small and light, as they should be melt in the mouth softness inside with a gentle crust on the outside. They are at their perfection when eaten with just a good quality jam and thick cream, washed down with a cup of tea. Thankfully, I managed to restore Les Frenchie's opinion of the humble scone.

The recipe I used was a Delia Smith one from her original Complete Cookery Course, first published in 1978. Still one of the best cookery books out there. I found mine in a charity shop in great condition. The original owner had clearly not been a keen cook.

Here's the recipe

8oz (225g) self-raising flour

1 1/2 oz (40g) butter at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons caster sugar
a pinch of salt
5 fl oz milk (150ml)
a little extra flour

Oven 220C, 425F or Gas Mark 7.
Grease or flour a heavy baking tray.

Rub the flour in with the butter to make a light sand and then add in the sugar and salt. Slowly add the milk bit by bit to form a soft consistency. The key to all scone making is to be LIGHT with your hands. The dough must be treated delicately. You want a soft, moist dough, not dry. Add a little more milk it necessary but not enough to make it so sticky it falls through your hands - it needs to remain a dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured board or work surface, using the extra flour and sprinkle some on the dough to stop it sticking, and roll gently with a rolling pin (or suitable glass bottle). You want the dough to be just less than an inch thick, not too thin as they need to rise into nice little mountains of fluffiness but not so thick that they end up drying your mouth out with one bite.

Cut small circles using a pastry cutter - I, in fact, don't have any pastry cutters at the moment and so I used a champagne flute. It made just the right size for small delicate scones!

Place the scones onto the baking tray and  brush the tops gently with either milk or egg and then bake in the hot oven for about 10 to 12 minutes - take then out when they are golden brown and the crust is formed. Eat straight away with jam and cream! Or butter!

If you don't have time to rustle up a batch of scones at any time, these freeze very well and can be warmed up in the oven and come out as if they've just been made fresh and not frozen before. They are a great wee treat for afternoon tea, or even for breakfast!

You know your scones have been enjoyed when there's not much left on the plate after five minutes....