Showing posts sorted by date for query Scones. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Scones. Sort by relevance Show all posts
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!
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I am a real lover of scones. They speak to my food loving heart on every level.
Flakey and slightly sweet, ready to be spread with something you enjoy, or even all on their own, served with hot cups of tea, herbal or otherwise.
They are as comfortable gracing the table on special occasions such as a High Tea as they are sitting on an afterschool tea plate for when you have those late afternoon munchies.
This recipe has been adapted from one I found in my recipe box, handwritten on a piece of paper, a long, long time ago. I can't really tell you where it came from.
There is no photo, just the recipe, penned in my lazy scrawl. I know that I only ever copied out recipes that were solidly appealing however and so I knew it had to be a winner.
There were several things about this recipe which called my name. First the amount of butter and way of incorporating it told me that these would be flaky . . .
and the use of an egg wash and sprinkle of brown sugar on the scones prior to baking sounded, well . . . incredibly yummy!
I have often sprinkled a bit of caster sugar on top or demerara sugar (turbinado sugar), but the brown sugar has a truly lovely effect.
It kind of melts with the egg wash and makes a nice sugary crust.
Another thing that appealed was the use of fresh orange zest combined with tiny bejeweled black currants . . .
the smell of the orange zest is amazing, both when you are putting them together and then again when they are baking!
The use of heavy cream and butter ensures a lovely flaky rise in the finished product . . .
They puffed up really nicely.
You also don't need to use any cutters to cut them out, just a sharp knife, so there is no waste or re-rolling of scraps which also helps them to rise evenly.
The recipe recommends serving them warm and eating on the day.
In all truth however, they are pretty tasty cold and yes, even the day after baking. (I had one for breakfast this morning.)
Todd enjoyed his split and spread with strawberry jam. I enjoyed mine, just as it was. No embellishments whatsoever. These are fabulously tasty!
*Orange and Currant Scones*
Makes 12
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with nonstick baking parchment. Set aside.
Sift the flour into a bowl along with the sugar and baking powder. Stir in the orange zest. Drop in the butter an rub it in with your fingertips, using a snapping motion or using a pastry blender until you have a mixture resembling coarse bread crumbs. (No piece of butter should be larger than a pea.)
Sift the flour into a bowl along with the sugar and baking powder. Stir in the orange zest. Drop in the butter an rub it in with your fingertips, using a snapping motion or using a pastry blender until you have a mixture resembling coarse bread crumbs. (No piece of butter should be larger than a pea.)
Make a well in the centre and add the cream and
beaten egg. Mix in with your hand until you have a shaggy type of
dough.Tip onto a lightly flour surface and gently mix in the dried
currants, kneading together just to incorporate the fruit.
Pat out to a
rectangle, roughly 3/4 inch thick and 9 by 12 inches in size. Make 3
cups down the length of the dough and 4 cuts crosswise, giving you 12
squares. Place well spaced apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops
with some of the beaten egg/water mixture and sprinkle each with some
brown sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, turning the baking sheet around halfway through the baking time, to evenly brown and cook. Let stand on the baking sheet for several minutes before moving to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Best if eaten within the first 24 hours.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, turning the baking sheet around halfway through the baking time, to evenly brown and cook. Let stand on the baking sheet for several minutes before moving to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Best if eaten within the first 24 hours.
The recipe does call for dried currants, but you could also use raisins if you wanted to or chopped dried cranberries. I think the cranberries would work really well with the orange zest! It's the weekend, why not bake something tasty today! Bon Appetit!
I had some applesauce that needed using up yesterday and so I baked us a spiced applesauce loaf. I adore loaves like this. They smell heavenly when they are baking, making the whole house smell gorgeously welcoming, and they are moist and delicious!
I really despair of the lighting this time of the year. It is cosy to a degree, but it makes taking good photos in natural light very difficult. Or maybe I just need a new camera . . . .
I tend to think it is just the poor light. In any case, don't let my lack of great photos put you off from baking this lovely loaf.
Its easy and quick to throw together and bakes up a dream. Do make the spiced honey butter to spread on it when you sit down to enjoy . . . .
Its also delicious and perfect on this tasty bread, and on your toast, your scones, your pancakes, your waffles, etc. The two of these together are pure bliss.
*Cinnamon Spice Applesauce Bread*
Makes one large loaf
145g granulated white sugar (3/4 cup)
30g sour cream or plain yogurt (1/4 cup)
*Spiced Honey Butter*
Makes about 3/4 cup
There is nothing more comforting than sitting indoors on a cold snowy/sleety day and enjoying a warm slice of this with a hot cuppa. Bon Appetit!
I wanted to bake a cake today that would reflect celebrations. There is just so much to celebrate this month! I love apples and my husband loves Spice cakes, so I decided to combine the two.
I am rather fond of spice cakes myself, but I won't be eating much of this. Its mainly for my husband. Today is our 17th wedding anniversary, so in part it is to celebrate that . . . but there is even more reason for celebrations . . .
Today is also the day we I have been waiting for, for what seems like forever. My book is finally out for sale! I am officially an Author! I am really proud of this achievement as you can imagine.
My husband says I have written a beautiful book and I know he is a bit biased, but my Editor also says that, so I guess I have to believe what they say. My friend Tina was here the other night and she fell in love with it, as did the ladies at church last night that I showed it to. I am happy for that.
From the time I was a little girl I had the dream of one day writing a book, and now that dream has come true.
"Learn how to cook the complete
breadth of English cuisine with The English Kitchen. Award winning
blogger and former personal chef Marie Rayner shares 510 recipes to
cover every meal from the famous ‘Full English’ breakfast to late night
treats of cake and biscuits. Every meal that could cross a traditional
English plate is on offer, with modern favourites from around the
British Isles and abroad making an appearance too.
You will find recipes for fry ups, lemon toast, custard creams, honey cake, Bakewell scones, the ultimate chicken Caesar salad, ploughman’s lunch, toad-in-the-hole, pork chops, Lancashire hotpot, hunter’s chicken, gardener’s pie, chips and mushy peas, how to make the perfect Sunday roast, Yorkshire pudding, bubble and squeak, coronation chicken, rock cakes, crumpets, crumbles, roly polys, sticky toffee pudding and more!
Marie also shares her years of experience in running a kitchen, with an entire chapter of Kitchen Wisdom to teach you the hints, tips and secrets behind making it all look (and feel) easy.
Marie came to the UK in the year 2000 and swiftly fell in love with the British culinary style. These are her tried and tested, very best recipes. They don’t have to be fancy, but they are each and every one delicious. Throughout she will educate you with gentle humour and beautiful illustrations, whether you are a native Brit looking for the taste of home, or an anglophile waiting to discover the traditions for the first time."
Hard cover, 724 pages, full colour and filled with lots of tastiness you can buy it on Amazon in either the full print version or kindle version. It is up to you. I believe it is also available from The Book Depository.
Amazon UK
(Available in both Print and Kindle versions)
Amazon US
(Available in both Print and Kindle Versions)
Amazon CA
(At the moment it is only showing the Kindle version here, but I am sure the print version will be available soon)
You will find recipes for fry ups, lemon toast, custard creams, honey cake, Bakewell scones, the ultimate chicken Caesar salad, ploughman’s lunch, toad-in-the-hole, pork chops, Lancashire hotpot, hunter’s chicken, gardener’s pie, chips and mushy peas, how to make the perfect Sunday roast, Yorkshire pudding, bubble and squeak, coronation chicken, rock cakes, crumpets, crumbles, roly polys, sticky toffee pudding and more!
Marie also shares her years of experience in running a kitchen, with an entire chapter of Kitchen Wisdom to teach you the hints, tips and secrets behind making it all look (and feel) easy.
Marie came to the UK in the year 2000 and swiftly fell in love with the British culinary style. These are her tried and tested, very best recipes. They don’t have to be fancy, but they are each and every one delicious. Throughout she will educate you with gentle humour and beautiful illustrations, whether you are a native Brit looking for the taste of home, or an anglophile waiting to discover the traditions for the first time."
Hard cover, 724 pages, full colour and filled with lots of tastiness you can buy it on Amazon in either the full print version or kindle version. It is up to you. I believe it is also available from The Book Depository.
Amazon UK
(Available in both Print and Kindle versions)
Amazon US
(Available in both Print and Kindle Versions)
Amazon CA
(At the moment it is only showing the Kindle version here, but I am sure the print version will be available soon)
Now lets talk about cake!
This deliciously moist cake is filled with lots of warm baking spices . . . cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, cloves . . .
The use of soft light brown muscovado sugar, applesauce and buttermilk also insure it is a moist, moist, moist cake.
There is even more warm spicy flavours in the Cinnamon Buttercream Icing . . . you could also make a cream cheese frosting if you wanted to.
Cream cheese is different over here and I don't like the way it turns out. Icings made with it are always too slack.
This is a moist somewhat dense cake, and deserves an icing that will stand up to that!
It would also be great for the looming holidays . . . that is why I chose to top it with mini mince pies. My husband loves mince pies, and he really enjoyed this addition!
I also thought they looked really pretty, but you can top it with whatever you want to top it with.
However you want to dress it up . . . caramel bits, candied ginger, dried apple chunks . . . crushed gingernuts. All would be fabulous!
*Apple Spice Cake*
Makes 1 (9-inch) layer cake
125g butter, at room temperature (1/2 cup)
495g icing sugar sifted (3 3/4 cups)
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon extract
3-4 TBS milk
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter two nine inch
layer cake pans and line the bottoms with baking paper. Butter the
paper. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, and spices together until well combined. Set aside.
Rub
the brown sugar through a sieve into a large bowl. Beat in the
applesauce and oil, using an electric whisk, until well mixed together.
Beat in the vanilla and the eggs, one egg at a time, stopping to scrape
the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in half of the flour
mixture on a low speed, just to combine. Blend in the buttermilk. Stir
in the remaining flour at low speed until well combined. Divide the
batter between the baking pans, smoothing the tops.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops
spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centres
of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tins for about 5
minutes before inverting onto a large wire cooling rack. Carefully
remove the baking paper and then allow to cool completely before
proceeding.
If you only bake one cake for the holidays (other than a fruit cake of course, you gotta have one of those) let it be this . . . you are sure to love it, and do be sure to check out my book as well. There are previews and all sorts on the Amazon page . . . you know that option where you can search through this book. Anyways, Bon Appetit!
I've added my cake to the Bake of the Week, sponsered by Helen from Casa Costello and Jenny from Mummy Mishaps.
I always like to bake us something special to enjoy with an afternoon cuppa at the weekend. Sometimes its a muffin, sometimes a biscuit/cookie and sometimes . . . like today . . . its a delicious scone!
We love these Irish Honey Scones. They are like the country cousin of the city scone. They are plain . . . and unassuming . . .
Filled with whole wheat nuttiness . . . and the goodness of real butter . . . the gentle sweetness of honey and milk . . . their simplicity might lead one to believe that they are nothing special.
Add a little frill of a dusting of icing sugar and they start to perk up a bit . . . funny how that goes . . . kind of like a lace petticoat . . . it can turn even the most plain and ripped up denim skirt into something really special.
I used Cobnut Honey and whole milk . . . and served these warm from the oven with cold butter and my homemade pear jam.
I'll be telling you about that jam tomorrow . . . but today . . . its about these delicious scones.
Seriously. Don't pass these by. If you do, you will be missing out on a real gem. Those Irish . . . they know how to make beautiful scones.
They really do. They have the great ability to take something simple and turn it into something that is gorgeously unforgettable.
*Irish Honey Scones*
makes 8
Printable Recipe
Tasty and wholesome scones, sweetened and glazed with honey. Delicious!
115g plain wholemeal flour (generous 3/4 cup whole wheat)
115g plain white flour (generous 3/4 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
85g butter, softened (6 TBS)
1 TBS soft light brown sugar
2 TBS clear liquid honey
3 fluid ounces milk
makes 8
Printable Recipe
Tasty and wholesome scones, sweetened and glazed with honey. Delicious!
115g plain wholemeal flour (generous 3/4 cup whole wheat)
115g plain white flour (generous 3/4 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
85g butter, softened (6 TBS)
1 TBS soft light brown sugar
2 TBS clear liquid honey
3 fluid ounces milk
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a baking sheet. Set aside.
Sift the white flour into a bowl. Stir in the wholemeal flour. Whisk in the baking powder and salt. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the brown sugar. Stir together the honey and milk until the honey is dissolved. Reserving some for glazing, add enough of the mixture to the flour/butter mixture to make a soft dough. Shape into a 7 inch flat round on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly score into 8 wedges with a sharp knife.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the remaining milk/honey mixture on top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven, break into wedges and serve warm with butter.
Sift the white flour into a bowl. Stir in the wholemeal flour. Whisk in the baking powder and salt. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the brown sugar. Stir together the honey and milk until the honey is dissolved. Reserving some for glazing, add enough of the mixture to the flour/butter mixture to make a soft dough. Shape into a 7 inch flat round on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly score into 8 wedges with a sharp knife.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the remaining milk/honey mixture on top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven, break into wedges and serve warm with butter.
I can't wait to sit down have another one of these. I had not baked them in a very long time. As I ate the first one I just had to ask myself why didn't I bake these more often. There's no excuse really . . . I am making a note to myself to bake them more often in the future.
I think of all the scones I bake, these ARE my favourite ones. Bon Appetit! Or as the Irish would say . . . Goile Maith!
(Google translate makes it so easy. 😉)
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