Killer scone recipe
Lettice asked for scones. I made these, following the recipe used at the Lanesborough Hotel in London. As you'd expect from somewhere so swank, this is an extravagent version of a homely classic ... but the egg makes a particularly soft dough - and uses up some of the glut we've got here. Well worth trying.
Rich scones
225g plain flour (I used 00 pasta flour, as it was all I could find)
2 tsp baking powder
40g butter
25g caster sugar
1 egg
100g full cream milk
Heat the oven to 220C (200 for a fan oven)
Sift the flour, add the bp, rub in the butter, then stir in the sugar. Beat the egg in the milk and add to the flour mixture. Gently gather it together into a soft dough, pat it out to an inch thick (you'll need a little flour on the work surface and your fingers), then cut into rounds. I made nine.
Put the scones onto a lightly floured baking sheet*, bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Eat warm.
* You could brush the dough with a little milk at this point, but I didn't bother
I found this in A Feast of Cooks (I bought it for Heston Blumenthal's Quaking Pudding)
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7 comments:
Lettice ... here's the BBC's version of scones, no egg, so very marginally cheaper, and not quite so good for you. Probably not so light, either. You can tell I still prefer the Lanesborough version :)
Ingredients
225g/8oz self raising flour
pinch of salt
55g/2oz butter
25g/1oz caster sugar
150ml/5fl oz milk
Method
1. Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter.
3. Stir in the sugar and then the milk to get a soft dough.
4. Turn on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly. Pat out to a round 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Lightly knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use it all up.
5. Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden.
Here's the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/scones_1285.shtml
Joanna, thank you, thank you, thank you.
My husband has been promising to make scones for ages. The problem is, he doesn't know how. He tried once and they turned out like minature bricks.
Now I can give him a good recipe to follow. No more excuses.
I have a great recipe for scones but it is American and I know it just wouldn't come out the same with English flour. I had my cooking classes make them in America and they came out fantastic for everybody.
You're very kind, Joan ... hope they turn out well - I've made my share of brick-like scones, but I think the eggs are insurance against that (fingers crossed)
Joanna
I came home yesterday to find my husband making scones. He used a recipe from one of his mother's very old cook books.
Well, they were edible but not wonderful. They were an improvement over the last batch.
"Why didn't you use the recipe I gave you?" I asked. No answer. He has been sacked as the official scone maker of this house. Well, maybe not. One more chance.
I'm feeling the terrible weight of responsibility. They work here, and I've had my share of no-good scones over the years
Good luck, Joan's husband ;)
Joanna
So what happened next?
Did Joan's husband make the Lanesborough Scones? Were they successful? If not, did Joan divorce her husband..... we need the next installment. Please Joan, tell us ..is it safe to use the Lanesborough version or should we trust the BBC version? I need a masterclass in scone making.
Joanna, I love this blog - I have only just found it - 'where have I been?', you might well ask!! Thank you for it.
Linda
Linda, thank you for kind words ... and you're quite right, Joan we are worried about the scones and all that goes with them ;)
Joanna
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