Michelle Darmody: How to bake delicious scones
Scones are one of things that when made well are delicious but when made badly can cloud your judgment of them.
I have a friend who recently had a scones revelation. It had been years since she had ordered one thinking that they were similar to the hard, dry ones she was served growing up.
I was with her as she ate a soft, warm, buttery scone which was smothered in homemade raspberry jam and whipped cream. She was in heaven.
There are a few tricks to making the perfect scones. The first trick is one that, I think, stands for all baking, choose the best quality ingredients. Good Irish butter has no match. If you use a substitute your scones simply will not have the same flavour or texture.
The second tip is to keep that butter as cold as possible. This means not handling it too much when making the dough and using it straight from the fridge. I cut the butter into very small cubes so I can combine it with the flour quite quickly.
The finished dough should be soft but not sticky. As with pastry the less you handle the dough the lighter the scones will be.
You can add many things to a basic scone recipe; chopped dried fruit, chocolate chips , some small cubes of pear and a drop of vanilla essence are a great addition. Raisins, dried apricots, fresh berries or chopped nuts can also be added.
If you do not have cream of tartar and bread soda you can substitute them for baking powder. If you do this however it is better to use milk instead of butter milk.
I have included the sultana scone recipe with cream of tartar as this is how my mother has always made scones in our house.
Simple Sultana Scones
450g of plain flour
1 level tsp of baking soda
4 level tsp of cream of tartar
80g of cold butter, cubed
80g of caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Buttermilk, enough to make 300ml with the eggs
50g of sultanas
Put the oven to 200 Celsius degrees or 390 fahrenheit or gas mark 5.
Mix dry ingredients and rub in the butter then stir in the sugar.
Lightly mix the egg and milk and add to mixture. Quickly knead in the sultanas.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat to about an inch and a half thickness. Cut with cutter and place apart on baking tray.
Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Pecan Nut and Orange Zest Scone
450g of plain flour
A pinch of fine sea salt
4 very level tsp baking powder
80g of cold butter, cubed
70g of golden caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
The zest of 4 oranges
1 tsp of vanilla essence
Enough milk to make 300mls when added to the egg
A handful of pecan nuts, chopped
Orange icing
70g of icing sugar
The juice of 1/2 an orange and the zest of the orange
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment.
Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder together. Rub in the cold butter until it resembles rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
Lightly mix the egg, zest and vanilla together in a measuring jug. Add the milk until the mixture is 300 mls when combined.
Add this to rest of the ingredients and stir in the chopped nuts.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat to about an inch and a half in thickness. Cut it into twelve triangles and place them apart on baking tray.
Bake for about twenty to twenty five minutes until risen and golden on top.
Drizzle with the orange icing once cool.
To make the icing stir the icing sugar, add the juice until the icing is liquid and stir in the zest.
Pumpkin and Turmeric Scones
275g of self-raising flour
20g of golden caster sugar
½ tsp of ground turmeric
½ tsp of Cayenne pepper
A pinch of fine sea salt
55g cold butter, cubed
220g of pumpkin boiled pumpkin flesh, mashed
1 egg beaten and an extra egg yolk to glaze
20g of cheddar, finely grated
½ tbs of pumpkin seeds
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment.
Stir the flour, sugar, turmeric, salt and cayenne pepper together. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the mashed pumpkin, egg and cheddar with a fork until completely mixed.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, bring it together with your hands and pat to about an inch in thickness. Cut it into about 12 circles.
Brush with the extra egg yolk and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.
Bake for about twenty minutes until risen and golden on top.
