Delicious Plain Scones

Sweet and delicious British style plain scones, perfect with my favourite combo of clotted cream and strawberry jam and of course a cup of tea!

I've tried and tested a few scone recipes now and have come up with this one which I think gives the scone a more buttery mouthwatering flavour and soft texture. The perfect scone should easily break apart in two in the centre without having to use a knife to cut it in half. With this recipe, feel free to add any extras like raisins, cranberries etc. But for me personally, I just love a good plain scone. There's just something so comforting and nostalgic about them, and they go so perfectly with a good cup of tea like an Earl Grey. Growing up in England, one of my favourite things to do and still is, is to go to a little tea room in a pretty village and have a 'cream tea', which of course is scones with clotted cream and jam and a pot of tea. So whilst living in the U.S., I wanted to recreate that soft, warm, fresh out the oven scone.

Sweet Plain Scones:

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut up

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 2⁄3 heavy whipping cream or whole milk or a mix of both

• 1 egg for brushing top of scones

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Put flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir to mix well.

3. Add the cut up cold butter in and cut in with a pastry blender or rub with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine, crumbly granules.

4. Add the sugar, and stir with a spoon.

5. Add the cream or milk, or use half of each, stir in slowly until a soft dough forms. Form the dough into a ball and put onto a lightly floured surface. Try not to knead the ball as this will affect the overall quality of the scone.

6. Spread out the dough ball with your hands or use a roller, but keep it quite thick to about 5 inches thickness. Using a circular cutter, cut out as many scones as you can. Reroll and use the scraps.

7. Brush just the tops of the scones with your egg wash and put onto your baking tray. Bake for around 12-15 minutes or until they are a medium brown colour. Cool a little before serving, but a warm scone is delicious!

Scones are best when served on the day, but are still just as delicious the next day, just warm them up again in the oven for 3-5 minutes at 350°F. You can also freeze them or freeze your pre-baked scones. Leave a comment below if you've tried a similar recipe and let me know what you think!