Scones are easy treats to make and the whole process provides a good group activity for young children. Use 'brown' (81 per cent extraction) flour or a mixture of wholemeal and white flour to make scones that are more nutritious and extra tasty.
- Ingredients
230g plain flour; 3 level teaspoons baking powder; tiny pinch salt; 60g cold butter; 30g sugar; 7 tablespoons milk; 30g sultanas; a little extra flour, milk and sugar; oil or butter for greasing; butter to serve
- Utensils
Blunt knives; mixing bowl; sieve; tablespoon; teaspoon; rolling pin (optional); pastry cutters (optional); baking sheet; pastry brush; cooling rack
- Method
- Balance the sieve across the mixing bowl. Put the flour, baking powder and salt into it and sieve them into the bowl.
- Cut up the butter roughly and drop the pieces on to the flour mixture.
- Cut the butter into the flour by using two knives, slicing one against the other. Continue until the butter is in small pieces. Then rub it in using the finger tips, but do this only briefly or the mixture will become sticky - it's finished when it looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the sugar and fruit, add the milk and mix everything together to make a dough. Then mix it smooth on the table, using the hands.
- Shape into about nine rounds, either by lightly rolling the dough and using pastry cutters, or by making the dough into scone shapes with the hands. In any case, the dough should be about 1cm thick(if it's too thin, you'll have tough, flat-looking scones which may burn).
- Brush each scone with milk, then sprinkle with a little sugar.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet with the fingers, then put the scones on it. Bake on the second shelf down from the top of the oven at gas mark 6-7, 205degC for 12 minutes or until scones are golden brown, then cool on the rack.
- Scones are best eaten when they are freshly made and slightly warm. They are very good with marmalade as a morning treat!
Variations
Alternatively, make one large scone, marked into sections with a knife, and increase the baking time slightly. Scones were originally made like this.