Showing posts with label scones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scones. Show all posts
This coming Monday will be Saint George's Day. All of the beautiful countries in the United Kingdom have a Patron Saint and the Patron Saint of England (where I live) is Saint George! St George's Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. The tradition of celebration St George's day had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland. These days it barely gets a nod, except in certain circles, but I, for one, think that it is the perfect day to celebrate our "Englishness," and what better way to do that than by baking up some lovely scones. There are not many more things English than a warm scone smothered with jam and cream!
These scones are particularly lovely, with lots of wholesome nuggets of granola throughout, along with a healthy studding of dried black currants. (Oh we do love our black currants here in the UK!)
The Granola I chose to use today was Lizi's award winnig Granola. Lizi's products supply wholesome food that deliver sustained energy and protein throughout the day.
All Lizi’s Granolas are:
- 100% Natural Ingredietnts
- No GMO’s
- No added salt
- Dairy-free, wheat-free recipes*
- Suitable for vegetarians and vegans (no honey)
- Low glycaemic – GL labelled – good for blood sugar control
Its available in a variety of flavours such as the Original, Passionfruit & Pistachio, Treacle & Pecan, Mango & Macadamia, Belgian Chocolate, Pink Apple & Cinnamon, Low Sugar, High Protein, Gluten Free and Organic. The Original and Low Sugar are also available in portion packs of 10. To find out more be sure to check out their page. I love them!
Today I used their low sugar variety, as I figured with the sugar and honey in the recipe, they didn't need a whole lot more sugar, and it was the perfect choice!
I decided to pull out all the stops today and got out my best tea cloth . . . my Katie Lizzie cups and saucers, tea plates and my pedestal cake stand . . .
Not too sweet, but lovely, buttery and short, almost like a pastry . . .
Studded with lovely dried black currants, and the granola . . . make sure you use a free flowing type of granola. You don't want one which has huge nuggets in it. Lizi's is perfect for this. It is filled with lots of seeds like sunflower and pumpkin as well, adding even more interest . . .
Fruity jam and clotted cream are a must! (If you can't get the clotted cream, you can use softly whipped cream.) I favour berry jam . . . strawberry or raspberry . . .
I like to spread the cream on first . . .
topping it with the jam . . .
Wars have broken out over which is the proper way . . . cream or jam first . . . to me it doesn't matter. Just so long as there is cream and jam!
*Lizi's Granola Scones*
Makes 8
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g dried currants (1/2 cup)
1 TBS double cream for brushing
To serve:
Clotted cream or whipped cream
jam
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. (180*fan) Line a baking sheet with baking paper and set aside.
Sift the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into small bits and drop into the flour mixture. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until you have a mixture resembling bread crumbs. (althernately you can do this in the food processor.) Stir in 2/3 of the granola and the currants. Mix together the cream, egg, honey and vanilla. Add all at once to the dry mixture and mix together to make a soft craggy dough.
Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a round about 8 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut into 8 wedges. Transfer each wedge to the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space in between each. Brush the top of each lightly with cream and sprinkle with some of the remaing granola.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until well risen and golden brown.
To serve split in half and serve with clotted cream and jam.
All scones are not equal . . . or are they? What makes a scone a scone, or a biscuit a biscuit? Are they interchangeable?
Are they the same thing? So many questions about scones and one could debate these things for hours . . .
I contend that scones and biscuits are two completely different things, both in how you put the ingredients together and in how they taste . . . I think scones are a bit lighter in texture than biscuits . . . most are sweet, but not all . . .
As evidenced by these very delicious savoury Cheese, Spring Onion & Bacon Scones I am showing you today.
Just look at how light and puffed up these beautiful scones are. They were fabulous served for breakfast this morning with hot cocoa . . .
But I think they would also be gorgeous served with eggs, or thick slices of ham . . . .
With salads or soups for lunch . . . in a portable lunch at the office. Enjoyed in leisure at home.
As a sneaky snack to partake of when nobody is looking, spread with plenty of cold butter. And maybe a bit of pickle or even jam.
In the evenings in front of the telly with a bit of chutney . . . and softened butter for spreading.
The possibilities are endless.
A scone does not have to be sweet to be enjoyed with abandon. These lovely svoury scones could not be more enjoyable, being filled as they were, to the hilt with strong cheddar cheese, smoky salty bacon bits and sharp spring onions . . .
You can't get too much better than that in my opinion.
We really could not resist scarfing down one a piece almost as soon as they came out of the oven . . . oh boy but they were some delicious!
Steaming hot and split. A large smattering of cold butter spread onto that hot surface. Yum . . . truth be old we enjoyed more than one a piece. Some days are like that.
*Cheese, Spring Onion & Bacon Scones*
makes 10 large scones
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Set aside.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and cut the dough in half. Shape each half into a ball and flatten the balls slightly to an 8 inch round. Place each round on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between. Cut each round into 5 wedges and push the wedges slightly apart. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes until well risen and golden brown.
The original recipe came from a book I picked up at a National Trust shop the last time we were visiting one of their gardens. It is entitled simply, "The National Trust Book of Scones," containing over 50 delicious scone recipes and some curious crumbs of history.
Good on their own . . . . but also quite tasty with a bit of jam. Don't judge me! This was actually quite tasty! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I really adore scones. To me a scone is better than a piece of cake or a pie. It's like a cross between the two, and such a delight to enjoy with a nice hot cuppa.
Don't worry, I only drink herbal infusions which I drink black, so nothing to take away from the delightful flavour of a good scone!
Having said that even when I did drink ordinary tea, I always enjoyed it black and unsweetened.
I am always on the lookout for a new scone recipe. I spied this recipe for Vanilla Scones the other day on a blog called Stuck on Sweet, they pushed all my buttons.
I just knew that I was going to have to bake them!
I adapted the measurements to UK measurements so no worries on that score if you live in Europe or the UK. I did find the dough to be a bit wet, whereas she had said that the dough was a bit crumbly.
That could be a difference in the flour, or the fact that she did not specify a size of egg. I used a large. Our eggs could be even larger over here than they are in North America. I don't know for sure. (That's why baking by weight is so much more accurate folks!)
The sticky dough did not present a problem for me. I simply tipped it out onto a well floured board, patted it into a round and then flipped the round over before cutting it into wedges.
When I say well-floured, I mean well floured. I am sure I had about 1/2 cup of flour on that board, so nothing would stick. It worked beautifully.
I also decided to add some chopped sour cherries to the mix because, one I like them, a lot, and two . . . vanilla . . . it just begged to have some kind of dried fruit added.
I adore sour cherries. They go really well with vanilla.
I also chose to use a mix of pure vanilla extract and some grindings from a vanilla grinder. Oh boy but these smelled heavenly when they were baking.
I ground some of that vanilla into the glaze also!
These are light and sweet with a lovely buttery flavour and lots of vanilla oomph. The tartness of the sour cherries sets that all off beautifully.
Wise choice on my part if I don't say so myself. And yes, I know I just did!
Because my dough was quite damp, I did end up with some craggy bits, but to me that's all the better because it made for lovely little sweet crevices for that glaze to soak into.
All in all . . . these are really prize worthy, blue ribbon winning, delightfully tasty scones!
*Sour Cherry & Vanilla Scones*
Makes 8
170g cold butter, cubed (3/4 cup)
1 large free range egg
1 TBS pure vanilla extract
a few grindings of a vanilla pod (optional)
120ml whole milk (1/2 cup)
75g dried sour cherries, roughly chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper set aside.
Sift
the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the
sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your finger tips until
crumbly. Stir in the sour cherries. Beat together the egg, milk and
vanilla. Add to the dry mixture and stir to combine to make a soft
sticky dough. Tip onto a generously floured board and pat out to an 8
inch circle. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges. (Cut cross wise
into equal quarters and then cut each quarter in half) Carefully move
onto the prepared baking tray.
Bake for 10 to 14
minutes until well risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let
cool on the tray for a few minutes before lifting onto a wire rack to
cool.
Whisk all of the glaze ingredients together
until smooth and spoonable. Spoon over the scoons and allow to set
completely before serving.
Its recipes like this that make me really grateful that I live in a fairly temperate climate where you only have a few days in the summer that make turning on the oven unbearable. And if you do live in a climate where its hotter than that, bake them anyways. They are well worth a few minutes of discomfort. Trust me on this. Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I love scones and am always looking for a delicious recipe to try. I spied a recipe the other day on a blog called Seasonly Creations for Irish Coffee Cake Scones.
Flaky sweet scones studded with plenty of dried currants and topped with a coffee cake streusal crumb topping.
For the scones:
340g of plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
50g soft dark brown sugar (1/4 cup)
45g white sugar (1/4 cup)
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
115g of dried currants (3/4 cup)
120g cold unsalted butter (1/2 cup) cut into cubes
2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
120ml buttermilk (1/2 cup)
2 tsp almond extract
To glaze:
2 TBS milk
1 large free range egg, beaten
For the streusel:
73g of white vegetable shortening (1/3 cup)
40g chopped toasted pecans (1/3 cup)
50g of soft light brown sugar plus 2 TBS (1/4 cup, plus 2 TBS)
2 TBS white sugar
3 TBS plain flour
pinch salt
To
make the streusel, rub the flour and both sugars together with the salt
to combine and work out any lumps in the sugar. Drop in the shortening
and rub all together with a fork to completely incorporate. Stir in
the chopped nuts. Set aside.
For the Scones sift the flour
into the bowl Stir in both sugars, the baking powder, the nutmeg and
the salt. Rub all together to make sure any lumps from the sugar are
broken up. Drop in the butter, rub it in with your fingertips until you
have a mixture which resembles fine bread crumbs.
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. LIne a large baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
Beat the egg and milk together for the glaze and set aside.
Whisk
together the buttermilk, eggs and almond extract for the scones. Make a
well in the middle of the scone mixture and dump in the wet
ingredients. Stir together with a fork until the mixture begins to come
together into a soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured board and
knead lightly for a few turns. Divide the dough in half and shape each
half gently into a circle which is 5 inches across and 1 inch tall. Cut
each into six wedges. Place onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of
space in between for rising, spreading. Brush the tops with the glaze
and then spring a heaped TBS of the streusel on top of each.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes. Serve warm with your favourite hot drink!
They looked really good so I thought I would give them a go! What a tasty way to end the month of May!
A basic scone recipe is created and then topped with a brown sugar and nut streusel before baking. It does use a mix of dark brown and white sugars, and plenty of nutmeg which was a bit different.
I thought I would give you an action shot of them ready to go into the oven! Yes, I do end up having to use my table as a preparation surface most of the time as I have almost nil counter space in the kitchen.
There really is only an area about 3 feet in length and by the time you put a toaster, a kettle and a knife block on it, prep surface is minimal at best.
Now back to the scones.
The dough was really easy to put together, most scone doughs are. You can't go wrong so long as you use a light hand.
The original recipe said to cut the fat into the flour, but I have always found that rubbing it in with your finger tips works much better.
It uses buttermilk, which usually makes for great scones. I was a bit nervous about this recipe however, as it did not call for any baking soda, just baking powder.
I always understood that you needed to use some soda with an acidic ingredient such as buttermilk in order to get a good rise.
I crossed my fingers and went with the recipe however and hoped that they would turn out like they should.
Hers certainly looked alright!
As you can see however, my worry was for naught as I got a really nice rise! I used some currants that I had in the cupboard from Whitworths, seedless ones, and really tiny.
They worked beautifully and the end result in the finished scones was lovely.
I confess I probably added an addition handful because I like lots of fruit. The only thing I wasn't totally fond of was the use of white vegetable shortening in the crumble topping, and to be honest, it kind of melted a bit.
I had been thinking it would stand up like the crumble on a coffee cake, but it didn't. I am not sure how you could get around that.
And I am not sure butter instead of shortening would make any difference. I checked back at hers on the other blog and they looked the same.
I think if just a bit more flour was added it might make a difference, but I will try that the next time around. Maybe bake one and let you know. They were really very good however and I will be making them again!
*Irish Coffee Cake Scones*
Makes 12
Other than changing a few things about the way I put these together, I basically followed the recipe as per written and I found them to be quite, quite delicious. Even the day after. I do have to say that next time I would leave out the almond extract. I am not sure that it added anything at all to the flavour of the scones, and to be honest it wasn't a very "Irish" addition. Using the dark brown sugar however gave them a beautiful colour. Warm out of the oven, split and buttered, they were utterly devine! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
I just love scones and am always thinking of different ways I can make them. My husband doesn't mind as he gets to enjoy the fruits of my labors. Today it was Peach, Vanilla and Poppyseed scones and let me tell you they are every bit as delicious as the name implies!
Originally I created them to use fresh peaches, the ones which you get at the shops that are a bit too hard to each out of hand. They are perfect for things like this or for this Green Peach Salad. (which is beautiful, trust me on this!)
The nice thing about these is that you can also use tinned peaches if that is all you have. Just be sure to pat them really dry first with some paper kitchen toweling.
That is what I used today because that is all I had. They work beautifully. I add them in with the poppyseeds, tossing them in with a fork.
You get the buttery crisp scone, moreishly flaky . . . tender sweet pieces of peach . . . crunchy poppyseeds, infused with vanilla . . .
I like to brush them with some cream and sprinkle them with Demerara Sugar prior to baking for some added interest, texture and flavour.
Spread with some clotted cream and apricot jam, these always go down a real treat. Break out the tea-pots and cups! A nice hot herbal infusion goes very well. I like Earl Grey Rooibos. Together they are just lovely.
*Peach, Vanilla & Poppyseed Scones*
Makes 10
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Set aside.
Sift
the flour into a bowl along with the sugar and baking powder. Drop in
the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture
resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the chopped peaches and the poppyseeds.
Whisk together the vanilla, egg and milk. Add to the dry mixture to
make a soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead
gently. Pat out about 1 1/2 inch thick. Stamp out into rounds with a
very sharp 3 inch round cutter. Place onto the baking sheet. Push any
trimmings together and re-pat out to stamp out more rounds if necessary
and also place on the baking sheet. Brush tops lightly with cream and
sprinkle with demerara sugar.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve slightly warm with clotted cream and apricot jam. Fabulous!
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