Thursday, October 20, 2011

Fruit Scones that dont look like biscuits!


Finally I found a recipe that works!  For years every time I made scones they wound up looking like biscuits- tasty but rock hard.  I got the basic recipe from Shamrock but as usual have made a few little changes.  The basic recipe called for Margarine but I prefer butter.  I also have ingredients for a glaze which I think makes a good scone a great scone.  Apple and Cinnamon are a lovely combination so if you choose to put apples (pick a firm apple with flavour e.g. a Pink Lady or Coxs Pippin) in the mix add a tsp of cinnamon for every 100g of flour or you can add it to the glaze.  This makes about 12 generous scones that can be frozen and microwaved for approx 1 minute to defrost though nothing beats a scone fresh out of the oven.

Ingredients
8oz/200g Self Raising Flour
4oz/100g Fruit (Sultanas/Cherries/Cranberries/chopped Apple/Raspberries-take your pick)
2oz/50g Butter (cut into cubes at room temp)
1oz/25g Sugar
¼ pint Milk (though I added an egg instead and topped it up with milk for a richer dough)

Glaze:
1 egg
2 tbsp Demerara Sugar (there should be enough here but you can always add more)
1 tsp Cinnamon

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6
  2. Sieve Flour into a bowl. Stir in the sugar
  3. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar mix. It should look at little like breadcrumbs when you're finished.  Stir in the fruit.
  4. Make a well in the middle. The best way to stir this gently is to make a claw shape with your hand and add the milk (or egg and milk) a little at a time until you reach a soft dough.  (Your hands will be a sticky mess but you'll have really light and fluffy scones)
  5. Tip your dough onto a floured work surface.  Roll it out to about 2cm
  6. To glaze them brush them with egg and pop them in the oven just like that or dip them in the demerara sugar cinnamon mix.
 



  1. Bake in the oven for 10-15 Mins and serve with butter or cream and jam.
Variation
For Brown Scones use 4oz/100g Wholemeal flour and 4oz/100g Self Raising Flour instead of the 8oz/200g Self Raising Flour in the recipe and leave out the fruit.