For the dough
2 ½ cups Italian organic 00 soft wheat flour
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pinch of salt
¼ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces (preferably unsalted)
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
To serve
1 ¼ cups whipping cream, very cold
1 1/4-1 ½ cups jam or fruit preserves of choice
Sift the flour together with the baking powder, sugar and salt.
Add the cold butter pieces and mix with a single turn of mixer or combine them with a knife. The consistency of the dough must be like fine sand.
Next, add the milk and eggs and pulse or mix until well blended.
Form the dough into a ball, seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
After the resting time, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of just slightly thicker than ½ inch.
Using a 2- 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough. Place each scone on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, brush with milk and bake for about 15 minutes. They will swell and slightly brown on the surface.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, whip the cold cream until it forms lovely billows and is firm enough to hold its shape.
To serve, split the scones in half and fill with a generous dollop of cream and a teaspoon of your favorite jam or fruit preserves. Close each scone with the cut top and your scones are ready to enjoy.
Scones—pronounced scoons in Scotland, Scohwhns in the south of England, are a quintessential part of afternoon tea; served with thick clotted cream and strawberry jam they define the traditional “cream tea”. Scones are, however, eaten happily any time of day or night, no need to reserve them for tea.
Originally from Scotland, scones are crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, much like American biscuits. Originally, the scone originally referred to a round, flat and unleavened cake, cooked on a griddle and served cut into triangular wedges. In this form it was known as a “bannock“–in Scotland the words are often used interchangeably.
Scones can have all sorts of additions, such as golden raisins or other candied fruit, and a hot scone seems to be perfectly made for a pat of butter to melt into it. But scones do not need to be sweet: savoury scones, especially containing green onions, Cheddar cheese, even hot pepper flakes, are popular too, and perfect for not only tea, but weekend brunch—topped with an egg, perhaps? Like all similar baked goods, scones can be dainty and petite, or huge—it’s your choice, though do adjust your baking times accordingly.