Grandma’s Sweet White Scones
The trick to these sweet white scones is to make sure that the butter is really chilled so that it breaks and crumbles into the flour to give the scones their extra-special light texture.
SERVES
20
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
50
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
10
MINUTES
Ingredients
Makes 18-20 scones using a 7.5cm cutter
900g plain flour
50g caster sugar
3 heaped tsp (60g) baking powder
pinch of salt
175g butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
3 eggs
450ml full-fat milk (approx.)
egg wash (1 egg whisked thoroughly with 1 dessertspoon milk)
75g crunchy Demerara sugar or coarse granulated sugar (approx.), for the tops of the scones
To serve: homemade jam and whipped cream or butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 250°C/480°F/gas mark 9.
Sieve all the dry ingredients together into a large, wide bowl. Toss the chilled butter cubes in the flour and rub them in by hand until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the centre. Whisk the eggs with the milk, then add to the dry ingredients in one go and mix to a soft dough.
Turn the dough out onto a floured worktop. Don’t knead, but shape just enough to make a round. Roll out to about 2.5cm thick and cut or stamp into scones. Try to stamp them out with as little waste as possible, as the first scones will be lighter than the second rolling.
For the topping, brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, then dip each one in crunchy Demerara or coarse granulated sugar.
Put the scones on two baking trays – no need to grease. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 10 minutes, until golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve split in half with homemade jam and a blob of whipped cream or just butter and jam.
