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Scones

Chihiran

By Chihiran
in Pastry & Baking

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Chihiran

Chihiran

Posted
Posted

This summer, I visited London for the second time and had afternoon tea twice. What I really loved were the scones. They're round, not sweet, kind of bread-like, very high, and with raisins. I can't seem to find a recipe for them! Does anyone know how to make them?

Sorry, for the bad description!

BrentKulman

BrentKulman

Posted
Posted
This summer, I visited London for the second time and had afternoon tea twice. What I really loved were the scones. They're round, not sweet, kind of bread-like, very high, and with raisins. I can't seem to find a recipe for them! Does anyone know how to make them?

Sorry, for the bad description!

Don't have a recipe but, out of curiosity, how was the word "scone" pronounced when you were in London?

andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted

You don't say where you live, Chihiran. It all depends on the type of flour you use and you have to be very sparing in mixing the dough - just mix till blended or they will be tough.

Like biscuits, you have to use a very sharp cutter to get the most rise.

My great-grandmother taught me a little rhyme about 60 years ago.

"If it sounds like stone, it's 'neath the Scot's throne.

If it rhymes with gone, its a proper scone!"

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Matthew Grant

Matthew Grant

Posted
Posted (edited)
This summer, I visited London for the second time and had afternoon tea twice. What I really loved were the scones. They're round, not sweet, kind of bread-like, very high, and with raisins. I can't seem to find a recipe for them! Does anyone know how to make them?

Sorry, for the bad description!

Can't find a recipe? You've not been looking properly! Here are approximatel 1.3 million of them :raz:

Scone recipes

Edited by Matthew Grant (log)

"Why would we want Children? What do they know about food?"

Clerkenwellian

Clerkenwellian

Posted
Posted
This summer, I visited London for the second time and had afternoon tea twice. What I really loved were the scones. They're round, not sweet, kind of bread-like, very high, and with raisins. I can't seem to find a recipe for them! Does anyone know how to make them?

Sorry, for the bad description!

250g self raising flour

60g butter

30g sugar

palmful of currants and/or raisins

quarter teaspoon of salt

150ml full fat milk

buzz the flour, sugar and butter into a food processor and pulse briefly until has the texture of small breadcrumbs. Pour into bowl and add the currants and milk. Stir until comes together into a very soft pastry (do not use the food processor at this point). Put onto floured worksurface and push into an inch high round. Cut out into scones with 3 inch cutter, brush with milk and bake at 200C until they look right.

thom

thom

Posted
Posted
not sweet

This comment was interesting. My grandma always makes her scones without sugar and it is only the presence of the raisins that gives them a sweetness.

I think traditionally there has always been recipes for both sweet and, uhmm, non-sweet scones and despite my sweet tooth I actually prefer mine sugar free.

Cheers

Thom

It's all true... I admit to being the MD of Holden Media, organisers of the Northern Restaurant and Bar exhibition, the Northern Hospitality Awards and other Northern based events too numerous to mention.

I don't post here as frequently as I once did, but to hear me regularly rambling on about bollocks - much of it food and restaurant-related - in a bite-size fashion then add me on twitter as "thomhetheringto".

andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted (edited)

You are 100% correct, thom. I have several books on the subject, "Biscuits and Scones"

"Crumpets and Scones" and "Simply Scones" and they all include a basic recipe without sugar.

These were originally meant to be dropped on a hot "girdle" (this is not misspelled) and baked in front of a fire.

For years I saved an Odlums Self-Rising flour bag that had a very similar recipe printed on it with a list of variations.

2 cups self-rising flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk

(1/4 cup sweet milk for glaze)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift the measured flour - sifting twice is better, set aside.

Mix the baking soda into the buttermilk in a 2-quart bowl.

Add about 2/3s of the flour and stir to mix, then

add just enough of the remaining flour to make a very soft dough.

Sprinkle the remaining flour on a board, turn the dough out onto the board

knead and turn the dough juft twice, shape into a round and pat to flatten until about 3/4 to 1 inch thick.

Using a long knife cut into 8 wedges but do not separate the wedges.

Slide the round onto an oiled baking sheet (or use parchement paper).

Brush the top with milk or with egg wash.

Place baking sheet on center shelf in oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Serve hot!

You can add any type of dried fruits to this recipe, or sprinkle the top with sugar or cinnamon/sugar, if you wish.

They can also be made savory with bacon bits, grated cheese or ?? herbs and spices. I sometimes prepare this simple recipe with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and sprinkle the top with coarse salt and dried herbs.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Chihiran

Chihiran

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
This summer, I visited London for the second time and had afternoon tea twice. What I really loved were the scones. They're round, not sweet, kind of bread-like, very high, and with raisins. I can't seem to find a recipe for them! Does anyone know how to make them?

Sorry, for the bad description!

Can't find a recipe? You've not been looking properly! Here are approximatel 1.3 million of them :raz:

Scone recipes

Oh... you're right! I never thought of searching with Google UK!!

I live in New Jersey, USA. How different is the flour here from London? I also use Japanese cake flour. ^^

Thanks for the recipes, andiesenji, clerkenwellien! I can't wait to try them!!

andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted

Note that the recipe I posted does not contain any butter. There is enough fat in commercial buttermilk to give the tenderness once only achieved with cutting butter into the flour.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Chihiran

Chihiran

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

andiesenji, I just noticed the no butter part now. It almost looks like a recipe for Irish soda bread!

I always thought that scones had to have cream :unsure: but I guess not

kitwilliams

kitwilliams

Posted
Posted

Don't know if you Brits who kindly posted on this topic have been to the States and discovered that Americans have turned your lovely tea scones into a completely different beast: the breakfast scone. They can be lovely, light and flavorful or heavy, gummy and far too sweet. But they are flavored into and of themselves as opposed to British tea scones which, despite the desired light and lovely texture, are pretty much a vehicle for clotted cream, jam, curds, and all sorts of other more-ish toppings. I think Nigella Lawson puts clotted cream and treacle on hers. Anyway, what all the above leads up to is the fact that it is not easy finding perfect (tea) scones or even a recipe for them in this country. They are, often, far too sweet.

I'm really curious to try the Odlums butterless buttermilk scones. Andiesenjie: have you found Odlums anywhere here in So Cal? I tried to find a mail order source recently and came up with nothing. And what are your thoughts on the butterless scones? Thanks.

kit

"I'm bringing pastry back"

Weebl

andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted (edited)

I order Odlums online, in fact, I just placed an order a couple of days ago for some from the place I get the Kerrygold butter - they have a "deal" for a bulk order and since I use so much, it works for me, even with paying extra for the shipping. I got an email notice that it will be delivered tomorrow.

Food Ireland.com

The Kerrygold deal

If you look under the "Breakfast" heading, you will see other stuff I order. The sausages, the bacon, - - -

Oh God, I have no willpower at all............

there are a couple of other sources for Odlums, I will have to look at the bookmarks in my old browser.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

davebrown

davebrown

Posted
Posted

You can take a savoury scone mix and use it as a pie-crust like topping for a stew. The bottom cooks with the stew juices a bit like dumplings: the top is a scone.

"Cobbler", I think the term is.

dougal

dougal

Posted
Posted (edited)
My great-grandmother taught me a little rhyme about 60 years ago.

"If it sounds like stone, it's 'neath the Scot's throne.

If it rhymes with gone, its a proper scone!"

Andiesenji - I'm not sure how many readers of this thread would immediately recognise the reference to the Stone of Scone, otherwise known as the Stone of Destiny on which Scots monarchs are traditionally crowned...

http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland.../StoneofDestiny

However, in 'the Stone of Scone', the word is actually correctly pronounced "scoon" - and I've never heard that version used to describe any baked goods... :D

British scones can be made, are made, with butter and sugar.

There is however an essential element of tartness - which can come from cultured dairy products, like buttermilk (or indeed yoghurt) or, IMHO more commonly, by the use of Cream of Tartar as part of the cocktail of raising agents - though this has not been explicitly mentioned above.

And yes, a pie in a dish with a scone topping can be called a Cobbler. Traditional or not, it can be given a simple but nice twist with some herbs in the dough.

Edited by dougal (log)

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

Chihiran

Chihiran

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I made the no-butter buttermilk scones. I also took pictures, but I can't figure out how to take a shot that's not a bright, white flash, or a blurry blob... :sad:

They didn't taste like I imagine scones to taste like, they were good, more like a biscuit? I substituted all of the ingredients. I didn't have self-rising flour, so I used AP flour with a tablespoon of baking powder and some salt. I also substitued a yogurt-milk mixture for the buttermilk. It was great with dried cranberries.

Swisskaese, Japanese cake flour is very lumpy and finely ground. It feels soft, but I don't know any other way to describe it...

BrentKulman

BrentKulman

Posted
Posted (edited)
Andiesenji - I'm not sure how many readers of this thread would immediately recognise the reference to the Stone of Scone, otherwise known as the Stone of Destiny on which Scots monarchs are traditionally crowned...

http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland.../StoneofDestiny

However, in 'the Stone of Scone', the word is actually correctly pronounced "scoon" - and I've never heard that version used to describe any baked goods...   :D

So, dougal, how do YOU pronounce scone?

Edited by BrentKulman (log)
dougal

dougal

Posted
Posted
Andiesenji - I'm not sure how many readers of this thread would immediately recognise the reference to the Stone of Scone, otherwise known as the Stone of Destiny on which Scots monarchs are traditionally crowned...

http://www.visitscotland.com/aboutscotland.../StoneofDestiny

However, in 'the Stone of Scone', the word is actually correctly pronounced "scoon" - and I've never heard that version used to describe any baked goods...   :D

So, dougal, how do YOU pronounce scone?

For the teatime (mid-afternoon) treat, I'd say sk-on and although sk-own might grate on the ear, what really matters is enjoying eating the things!

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

tomweir

tomweir

Posted
Posted

It's scone like like gone in England.

It's scone like stone in Ireland. And you can have many different kinds, whole wheat etc. It's pretty well soda bread, sometimes with cream or sugar.

King Arthur in the US should do you excellently, shipping Odlums is a lot of money...

  • 3 months later...
paynes1

paynes1

Posted
Posted

Hello All,

Anyone have a good scone recipe those I've tried are either bland and dry or are very moist and sweet like cake. Thanks

  • 1 month later...
alito

alito

Posted
Posted
...What I really loved were the scones. They're round, not sweet, kind of bread-like, very high, and with raisins...

I've made scones successfully, using a recipe like the non-buttermilk ones above; crucially, has anyone here made scones with buttermilk, and if so does this affect the height they rise to?

Mine never rise to more than about 4/5cm but I was in a tea-shop in Cambridge where the scones were breadlike and high as Chihiran has mentioned. They were much taller in fact, about 8 or 9cm high.

Any tips?

  • 3 weeks later...
alito

alito

Posted
Posted

I had a go at Delia's Recipe for fruit-buttermilk scones (from the BBC). They came out really tasty and even softer than before, similar size and consistency. The recipes don't really vary greatly... Except for another one posted on eGullet, by Ann. It looks nice, but I've just bought the buttermilk... so I'll experiment a bit more with that first.

Anyway, this is what they look like. Still not getting any bigger though. Any clues?

gallery_51560_4404_67862.jpg

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