Scones...

With their warm baked aroma and soft texture, scones are my all-time favorite. They turn basic, inexpensive ingredients into something truly special. They're so easy to make, even little hands will be able to get in on the action and they'll be well rewarded for their efforts.

Traditionally, scones were part of an elegant tea-time spread served with jam and whipped or clotted cream and quite possibly, Earl Grey tea, too. But you really don’t need to get the best linen tablecloth out to enjoy these. They take just half an hour to make, so you can eat them fresh, plain or buttered, with coffee for breakfast, or as a mid-morning snack.

My scones are a lot like biscuits, but the dough is lightly sweetened. This recipe can accommodate any sort of dried fruit or fresh fruit in season.



Raisin Scones

Ingredients:
1 cup self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter plus extra for greasing
⅓ cup raisins
½ cup milk
2–3 tablespoons cream or milk to glaze

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or line it with baking parchment.

Sift together into a medium-sized bowl the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the sugar.

Cut up the butter and rub it into the dry mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the raisins.

Add three-quarters of the milk and mix it in quickly with a knife. Add the remaining milk, only if it is needed, to mix to a soft dough. Do not overmix as this will make the scones tough.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll out to ¾ -inch thick.

Cut out the scones with a 2 inch floured cutter. Gather up any trimmings, roll into a ball, and cut more scones.

Place the scones on the baking sheet and brush the tops with the cream or milk.

Bake near the top of the oven for 10–12 minutes or until the scones have risen, are lightly browned on top, and the bases sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 1 dozen