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Orange and Currant Cream Scones (small batch)

Name: Small Batch Orange and Currant Cream Scones
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 24 min
Ingredients: 1 cup (140g) all-purpose plain flour; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 ½ tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp salt; 1 tsp finely grated orange zest; ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream; 1 large free-range egg yolk; ¼ cup (40g) dried currants; more cream to brush on top; Demerara (turbinado) sugar to sprinkle on top

Friday, 10 February 2023

I felt like having a scone today with my mid-morning break. Call it a late brunch as you will, as I didn't really have time for breakfast this morning and I was famished.

I didn't necessarily want to bake a full batch of scones, however. Especially where there is just me in the house.

Oh, I know you can always freeze the extras. I am a fan of fresh scones, but not so much frozen thawed out scones. You cannot beat fresh when it comes to baked goods.

I really love cream scones best of all. There is no having to cut or rub in butter. You just stir in the cream and go. Easy peasy.

I found a recipe for a small batch of cream scones on One Dish Kitchen. It looked quite reasonable and so I decided to adapt it with a few ideas of my own.

First of all I don't think vanilla has a place in scones, not cream scones anyways, so I left that out completely. I also didn't feel like raisin/sultana scones.

I did, however, have a nice fresh bag of Zante currants and so I decided to go with them. I also decided that nothing goes better with currants than orange zest and so I added some freshly grated orange zest.

I also decided to cut my scones into squares, rather than use a biscuit cutter to cut them into rounds. I like square scones. There is no re-patting of the dough or waste. You just pat them once into a square and cut.

I pat the dough into an even square and then trim the edges slightly with a sharp knife and then use that same sharp knife to cut the square into evenly sized scones. Press straight down and up for a nice straight rise and even rise. No slanted lop-sides.

I also think a good scone deserves a bit of a glaze, especially a cream scone. I added a brush of cream on top of the scones prior to baking and a tiny sprinkle of coarse Demerara sugar to give it just a bit of a sweet crust on top.

It really makes a nice finish. You could use milk as well, or even a beaten egg yolk, but I already had the cream out, so I went with the cream.

Yummy!

Look at how nice and tall they rose. This is largely due to making sure my egg and my cream were both very cold, as well as cutting them straight.

Also, I like to handle the dough as little as possible. Over-handling the dough makes for a tough scone that doesn't rise as high.

Just stir your ingredients together to form a slightly tacky dough, dump onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 2 or 3 times and then lightly pat into your square shape.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ORANGE AND CURRANT CREAM SCONES

One thing I love about these is that you need only a very few ingredients.

1 cup (140g) all-purpose plain flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
1 large free-range egg yolk
¼ cup (40g) dried currants
more cream to brush on top
Demerara (turbinado) sugar to sprinkle on top

Orange zest really helps to bring out the sweetness of the dried currants. In the U.K. I had my own currant bush and would dry my own currants in my dehydrator.

Today I used Zante Currants that I had bought from Amazon. I buy a lot of my things like that on Amazon. The prices are usually quite reasonable in price, and they come right to my door.

HOW TO MAKE ORANGE AND CURRANT CREAM SCONES

Remember a light touch is key to getting a perfect result!!

Preheat oven to 425* F /220* C/ gas mark 7. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper or use a silicone liner.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, orange zest and salt. Stir in the dried currants.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together cream, and egg yolk. Pour into the flour mixture and stir together until combined. You should have a soft slightly tacky dough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead very lightly a few times and then shape into a 4-inch square 1-inch thick.

Using a sharp knife, cut into 4 even squares and place on the baking sheet. Brush the tops lightly with cream and sprinkle with some demerara (turbinado) sugar.

Bake 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Serve with butter, jam, and clotted cream, if you have it.

Boy oh boy do I ever miss clotted cream. I have never tried to make any here at home. When you have had the real thing, nothing else quite comes up to it.

These scones were lovely split and spread with some softened butter and strawberry jam. I was really pleased with the end result. Flaky and light. Little bits of sticky sweet currant, a slight hint of orange and then the butter and the jam.

Washed down with a hot cup of herbal tea. This was the perfect mid-morning treat! Simply lovely.

If you are a fan of the scone, you are in for a real treat. I have loads of scone recipes here on The English Kitchen. Here are just a few of my favorites!

CARROT CAKE DROP SCONES - These are everything a great drop scone should be. Light and fluffy, no fuss, no muss. Simply mix and drop. Filled with sweet carrots, warm baking spices and sticky raisins. Sweetly glazed. These are a real favorite.

MAPLE GLAZED BLACK PEPPER SCONES - This is a small batch recipe which makes two very large scones. They have that sweet and savory thing going on. Short and buttery, studded with the heat of black pepper and sweetly glazed. Who know that maple and pepper got along so well! Simply fabulous.

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Small Batch Orange and Currant Cream Scones

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 14 MinTotal time: 24 Min

Tender and Flaky, these lovely scones are flavored with zingy orange zest and studded with plenty of dried currants.

Ingredients

1 cup (140g) all-purpose plain flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
1 large free-range egg yolk
¼ cup (40g) dried currants
more cream to brush on top
Demerara (turbinado) sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425* F /220* C/ gas mark 7. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper or use a silicone liner.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, orange zest and salt. Stir in the dried currants.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together cream, and egg yolk. Pour into the flour mixture and stir together until combined. You should have a soft slightly tacky dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead very lightly a few times and then shape into a 4-inch square 1-inch thick.
Using a sharp knife, cut into 4 even squares and place on the baking sheet.
Brush the tops lightly with cream and sprinkle with some demerara (turbinado) sugar.
Bake 12-14 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Serve with butter, jam, and clotted cream, if you have it.

Notes

One of the secrets to flaky scones with a high rise is to make sure your cream and egg are cold. Also try not to handle the dough overly much as this will toughen the dough.

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Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon

Saturday, 4 February 2023

Wicked cold weather here in Nova Scotia today, but I expect it is the same everywhere. You would expect nothing less at this time of year in Canada. Actually, Winter has been slow in coming this year, so we really don't have a lot to complain about.

I love days like this, when the wind is blowing fiercely outside my front door, whipping the snow back and forth in a frenzy, but I am tucked up all warm and cozy inside with my two pussy cats and the fire burning. It doesn't matter to me that it's not a real fire. It's an electric fire. The feeling is the same. It's flames flicker and they warm my heart.

This is the kind of day I love to do some baking. I am not sure why that is. Perhaps it is the act of puttering and homemaking that do my heart good, or maybe it is knowing that at the end of all of my efforts I will be able to sit down in my comfortable chair with a hot drink and enjoy the tasty fruits of my labors.

My thinking cap goes on and before too long I find myself dragging out the flour and sugar bins and taking the butter out of the fridge. I love the clicking nose my oven makes as I turn it on to preheat. That, too, always holds the promise of something tasty to come.

Today I decided to make some scones. Fresh Ginger Scones filled with Lemon. They are some of my favorite scones of all. The recipe is an old one which I have had for well over 20 years.

I adapted the original recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook entitled, Eat and Lose Weight. Somehow the idea of eating scones filled with lemon curd doesn't equate with the idea of losing weight, but, nevertheless, it has always been one of my favorite scones to bake.

As far as scones go, they are pretty much the same as other scone recipes. The dough is a tender dough, which might be a bit lower in fat than other scones, but it is moistened with buttermilk, light and flaky.

What sets these scones apart from other scones is that they are double layered scones, filled with a lush rich filling of lemon curd. You can use a good, purchased lemon curd, or you can make your own. I have a great recipe here to do just that.

Today I used a good jar of lemon curd that I bought at a British Supply shop. Wilken & Son's Lemon Curd. Oh boy it is some good. The next best thing to homemade.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE FRESH GINGER SCONES FILLED WITH LEMON

The ingredients may not be simple everyday ingredients, but a quick trip to the shops should take care of that.

2 cups (280g)plain flour
1/4 cup (50g) white sugar
pinch of salt
3 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup (80g) butter
2/3 cup (160ml) fat free buttermilk (may need a bit more)
1 TBS grated fresh ginger root
1/2 cup (approx 165g) prepared lemon curd
demerara sugar (turbinado) for sprinkling on top, if desired

Use the best lemon curd that you can afford to buy or make your own. Both work well. I am inclined to think you could actually use any kind of jam in these tasty scones. Just be careful not to overdo any of them as your scones will not cook properly inside if they are too damp.

You can make your own buttermilk substitute by whisking together 1 TBS of white vinegar or lemon juice with the amount of milk required. Set aside to clabber. Another way to make it is to whisk together equal parts of plain yogurt and milk. I use the full fat options of each.

Use fresh gingerroot if you have it. It really has a lovely flavor. If you can't get it, then I would suggest adding 1 tsp ground dried ginger in its place. I think another great substitution would be 1 TBS finely minced candied gingerroot. You could sprinkle even more on top of the scones prior to baking if you wanted to.

HOW TO MAKE FRESH GINGER SCONES FILLED WITH LEMON

These are very simple to make so long as you follow a few rules of thumb. Keep your ingredients cold, and don't overhandle the dough. Also don't be tempted to overdo the lemon curd filling or you will have a blowout of lemon curd when they are baking.

Pre-heat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment.

Place the flour, sugar. salt, and baking powder in a bowl, whisking well together. Rub the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until it is well rubbed in, and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir in the gingerroot and mix in well. (A fork does a good job of this.)

Stir in the buttermilk until the dough leaves the side of the bowl and forms a ball. If your dough is too dry, then add a bit more buttermilk. It should be a shaggy dough.

Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple of times to bring together. Divide the dough in half.

Place half of the dough on the cookie sheet and pat out into a 7-inch circle. Spread the lemon curd over top, up to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the circle.

Pat the other half of the dough into another 7-inch circle and place over top of the lemon curd. Gently pinch the edge to seal.

Brush the top with a bit more buttermilk and then sprinkle demerara sugar evenly over top. Lightly score the surface of the dough into 8 wedges, being careful not to cut all the way through to the lemon curd.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the top and bottom and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve. Serve warm with your favorite hot drink!

I prettied these up by dusting a bit of icing sugar over the tops when I served them. Oh, I know, there is only me in the house, but I think I still deserve pretty things, don't you?

I don't think anyone will ever be able to accuse me of pretentious presentation. You always get what you see. Sometimes I get it right and sometimes I don't. Most times I am in too much of a hurry, wanting to dig into what I have cooked to spend a lot of time on presentation. It's one of my many weaknesses.

These are so delicious. It's hard to believe that they are lower in fat than most scones. I enjoyed mine with a nice hot cup of lemon, ginger & honey herbal tea. How will you enjoy yours?

Some other tasty recipes using lemon curd on here in The English Kitchen are: (Just so you don't waste any of it.)

LEMON CURD COOKIES - These lush and buttery shortbread cookies are flavored through and through with lemon from the inside out. Crispy edged and dimpled with lemon curd centers, they are real lemon winners! If you love lemon as much as I do, you will love these.

LEMON CURD DRIZZLE CAKE - This is my absolute favorite of all the lemon cakes that I bake. No surprise there! It is moist and delicious and crammed full of lovely lemon flavor.

Yield: 8

Author: Marie Rayner

Fresh Ginger Scones Filled with Lemon

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min

You can make your own lemon curd for these, or use purchased lemon curd. There are some very good ones out there. Make sure you let the finished scones sit for several minutes before you cut them apart to eat. Hot lemon curd can really burn. These are lovely and, as far as scones go, are relatively low in fat. They're delicious.