Scones

The perfect scone is a combination of heat and cold. You need an incredibly hot oven to cook them in and cold hands in order to knead the dough without overheating the mix and thereby losing the lift in the dough. I adore making pastry and scones but must confess to at least part of my prowess being down to my bad circulation and freezing hands! If you are a more warm blooded type try putting ice trays on your kitchen work bench and dipping your hands in freezing water before you start mixing the dough.

Ingredients

2 cups of plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (yes 2 – this is the secret ingredient!)
60g (2oz) butter
½ cup of milk
Raisins (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C (450°F).

Stir the baking powder into the flour. Cut the butter into small chunks and throw it in with the flour. Be ready to add more if necessary. Combine the flour and the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs (don’t overwork this stage).

Add a handful of raisins or other fruit if you fancy a fruit scone. Add the milk and stir at first with a knife. Then get in there with your hands and knead it into a lump but again don’t overwork the dough.

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out to a thickness of about 10cm. Cut out your scones using a cutter or a glass dipped in flour. Place on a baking tray covered with baking paper and brush the tops of the scones with milk.

Bake for 12-15 minutes (but check after 10). The scones are ready when they have risen and are nicely brown on top.

Serve at once with butter, jam and clotted cream and a large pot of tea.