Very British Scones

I first learnt to make scones working in the kitchen at my parents’ hotel during university holidays. The place had a reputation for its towering scones which would be paraded out by a struggling waiter every afternoon.

The secret to a perfect scone is to make them with care. They can be the simplest of bakes if you just be careful to not overdo it. Treat them lovingly, gently. These are best on a sunny day with a generous mug of strong tea, more clotted cream than initially seems necessary, and the best strawberry jam you can find. However, they’re also not bad pre-filled and eaten on a long walk, slathered in butter and snacked on with a laptop during a working afternoon (be warned, you will never get the crumbs out of the keys), or crumbled into the car seats by grubby little fingers during a long car journey.

I like to make them entirely by hand as there’s something special about not needing any fancy equipment, meaning you can bake a batch in the most basic of kitchens. But if you want to use a stand mixer you can, just keep on eye on it — you still want to see chunks of butter before you add the liquids, and then mix it as briefly as possible once all the ingredients are in.

Makes 6-8 scones

Ingredients

300g (2 ½ cups) bread flour (plain flour will work fine if that’s what you have)

2 tablespoons baking powder

4 tablespoons caster sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling

¼ teaspoon salt

115g butter, cut into 1cm cubes and chilled

100g raisins (or fewer, or none, depending on your preference!)

1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk

140ml cream, plus more for brushing

Clotted cream, to serve

Strawberry jam, to serve

Steps

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Toss in the butter, separating the cubes as you do so, and use your fingers or two knives (or the stand mixer, if you must) to break it down until it’s in pea sized pieces. Don’t over mix, better too big than too small.

Pour in the raisins and use your hands to distribute them and lightly coat them in flour.

Whisk together the egg, egg yolk and cream.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. It might seem too dry but please trust me! Gently mix with a wooden spoon (or the paddle on the stand mixer) until it starts to come together. Use your hands to gently press it together, without kneading it. It should just hold in a shaggy dough. If you need to add a little extra liquid so it holds together, add a scant tablespoon of cream at a time.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll or press it until it’s about 1-inch thick. Cut with your preferred cutter, an upside down glass, or use a knife to cut them into squares. Gently gather together any leftover scraps, re-roll them, and cut again (I try to adhere to Natasha Pickowicz’s philosophy of YORO, you only re-roll once).

Place the scones on the baking tray. Brush with a splash of extra cream, and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes (put the kettle on now!) before slicing open, layering up with cream and jam, and gobbling down.