It’s hard to beat a fresh scone: warm from the oven, served with butter, jam and cream. Beth O’Brien tested six different recipes and finally developed a recipe for an oat scone that is perfect for breakfast, with either sweet or savoury toppings.
Scones are typically made with wheat flour, enriched with some combination of butter, milk and egg. They should be slightly flaky, slightly crumbly, and light, yet sturdy enough to bear the weight of a generous amount of jam and cream.
The traditional scones all used the same ingredients, albeit in slightly different quantities. These recipes either used plain flour and baking powder or self-raising flour, both with similar results .Butter content was in the range of 20-33 per cent of total flour quantity, with the lower fat content producing a lighter, crumblier scone, and the higher fat content producing a richer, slightly heavier scone.
Mary Berry’s scones had dried fruit, which I like in a scone but is entirely optional. If you want to add fruit, I like sultanas but you could also use raisins or currants, or even chopped apricots or dates. Martha Stewart’s raspberry scones followed a similar method to the traditional scone recipe, but incorporated fresh raspberries at the final step.
Felicity Cloake’s cheese scones also follow a traditional scone method, but add cheese and chives. These were super easy to make and very delicious, especially when served with more cheese. Claire Ptak’s prune, oat and spelt scones, a regular fixture at Violet Bakery in London, are delicious – higher in fat than all of the other scones, but with a really delicious flavour from the prunes soaked in Earl Grey, and a beautiful colour and texture.
When forming the dough, it’s best not to add all the liquid at once, as it may not all be necessary. Add just enough to form a soft dough that comes away from the edges of the bowl. Don’t overmix – it’s okay if there are some dry bits, as they will come together as you roll and re-roll it. The first batch that you roll and cut will have the best texture, as the dough has been worked less, so try to get as many scones out of the first rolling as possible.
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