Classic British Scones
Tall, tender British scones made by rubbing cold butter into flour and patting the dough by hand, served warm with jam and clotted cream.
Method
Heat the oven to 220 °C for so it is fully hot when the scones go in; a strong blast of heat makes them rise tall. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
ovenPut the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl and stir. Cut the butter, straight from the fridge, into 1 cm cubes, add it and rub it into the flour with your fingertips for , lifting the mixture as you go, until it looks like fine breadcrumbs with no butter lumps bigger than a pea. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.
Add in this stepPlain flour 130 gBaking powder 2 tspSalt 1 pinchCaster sugar 15 gCold unsalted butter 35 g
Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk (the rest is for brushing). Stir with a table knife just until a soft, slightly sticky, shaggy dough forms. If dry flour is left at the bottom, add a few drops more milk. Do not knead: overworked dough bakes into tough, flat scones.
Add in this stepCold milk 77 ml
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and pat it gently with your hands into a round about 2.5 cm thick; no rolling pin needed. Dip a 6 cm round cutter in flour and press it straight down without twisting, because twisting seals the edges and stops the rise. Press the scraps together once and cut again to get 4 scones in total.
Set the scones on the tray 2 cm apart, brush only the tops with the remaining milk and bake in the oven at 220 °C for , until well risen and golden on top and the bases sound hollow when tapped. If the sides still look doughy, give them 2 more minutes.
Add in this stepCold milk 8.5 ml
ovenMove them to a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel and leave for ; the towel keeps the crust soft. Split them by hand rather than with a knife and pile on jam and clotted cream: jam first in Cornwall, cream first in Devon.
Add in this stepStrawberry jam 2 tbspClotted cream (or double cream whipped until thick) 60 g
Cook's tip
Cold butter, cold milk and as little handling as possible are what make scones rise tall. Scones are best on the day they are baked; freeze leftovers and warm them in the oven for 5 minutes.
Cooking it at camp
Rub the butter into the dry ingredients at home and carry the mix in a zip bag in the cooler, so at camp you only add milk. Bake in a lined Dutch oven with more coals on the lid than underneath for 15 to 20 minutes, or pat the dough 2 cm thick and cook griddle scones in a covered cast-iron pan on a low flame for 6 to 7 minutes per side. They brown less on top but taste just as good.