If you want a never fail - fantastic light scone recipe for a special devonshire tea or if you just want to impress the vicar...

This IS the best scone recipe I have ever used...100xbetter than the lemonade one (and I tried that too)

1 tbsp icing sugar
2.5 cups plain flour
1.5 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
250ml milk
30g butter - melted

preheat oven to 220 deg C

Sift icing sugar, flour, baking powder and salt into bowl, add milk and butter and stir to combine with a knife, knead quickly and lightly until smooth and then press out onto a floured surface, use a glass to cut out rounds and place them close together on a greased tray (or cut into squares) - cook for 8-10 minutes until puffed and golden

Four legs good, two legs bad. George Orwell

Well I still like scones made with buttermilk......can't post the recipe I use, but look out for it in Annabelle White's books....fruity scones made with buttermilk. I make a variety of versions to suit my mood - lemon and date, sometimes with some wholemeal flour + white, apricot and currant, cheese, mustard and parsley, sultana.....yum, in fact I tend to make a couple of dozen at atime, freeze them and thaw them as I want them in the microwave, wrapped in a paper towel, a very yummy snack with a cup of coffee - and no butter needed, soft and tasty enough without it.

My mother who was not a country girl, married a farmer at a young age, and had to learn the art of scone making for the haymaking season . She is 93 years old now, and I have often heard her referred to as the "Best scone maker in the district" .. and sometimes, the world even.High praise, but well deserved. She used to just biff ingredients into a bowl , no measuring or weighing, and then would produce the softest, lightes, highest scones . She worked with speed, and handled the mix as little as possible, using a knife to cut in as she added the milk. Always make the mix a little more moist than you would think it should be , was one of the tips she gave me. However, I have in spite of her tips, I have never been able to produce scones on a par with hers.. although I have improved my own attempts by using buttermilk for special occasions .
My mother told me that on her first attempt at scone making, they were so hard that the haymakers, who were mostly her brothers -in -law, could not eat them, and after their lunch she was mortified to find them playing some sort of cricket with them, using the hayforks to pelt them into the wide blue yonder as they laughed and pulled their brothers leg about his new bride's culinary attemps. She got hopping mad, and it was at that point that she made up her mind by hook or by crook (her words) to practice and practice until she had them all eating not only her scones, but also their unkind words. I am not sure how long it took, but I do know that she succeeded. I unfortunately am still practicing.
By the way, I have been visiting this site for a very long time, and I just love it. I have often been inspired to try my hand at making things I would normally have thought too difficult. Not only have I learned so much, but I have been been thrilled by the willingness of everyone to impart their secrets, and share!. Thank you to all, and a very happy new year to everyone as well.

ohhh no - now I reallllly want some fresh scones with strawberry jam and cream .... ahhhhhhh ... can ... not ... resist .......

I have just pooped in (ducks) from an alcoholic overloading...can't think straight quite yet, but this is the neatest posting..not mine...Ryansnan.. I think so anyway! why can't more of you secret watchers contribute?
Thank you Ryansnan..who is Ryan?

Hi Ladies,
the secret is to handle the scone mixture lightly and quickly this is how my grandmothrs both did them before the lemonade scones but the lemonade scones are the best.
I never thought of using coca cola for the date scones. I look after two boys so will try them out as these two are fussy eaters.
They don't like tomatoes, watermelon, strawberries and many other things but they love the coca cola chocolate cake.
It is very hard when the eldest won't even try anything, the younger tried cooked chicken livers and now wants his mum to cook them, hooray one up to me.
It's not as though mum indulges them she tries but it is hard work.trying to get them to try anything.
Kay D
P.S they go through a loaf of homemade bread straight out of the breadmaker in fact they just about stand over it watching the timer.

Those where great replies about scones..
you know girls i have always wanted to taste one and never have , i am scared to try as i do not know how they actually look.
i was going thro all your recipes
i had some doubts.we do not get cream of tartar what can i substitute it with and cream too is not freely and readily available
can i substitute something else.
i am waiting to eat a scone.

I don't use cream of tartar or cream in mine. The recipe is 2 cups flour, 4 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt, 60g butter and 1/2 - 3/4 cup milk. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Rub in the butter until the mixture is like breadcrumbs. Add 1/2 cup milk and quickly mix with a butter knife adding more milk if needed - the mixture should be quite soft but not sticky. Tip onto a floured bench and press together. Pat out till about 2cm thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into rough squares or use a cookie cutter to cut round scones. Put on an oven tray and bake 10 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 220C. Here is a website with lots of info about scones and some pictures. [www.joyofbaking.com] If you look at the set of pictures a little way down the page the righthand picture in the first row that is labeled "biscuits" is what plain, everyday round scones look like. Americans, for some reason, call scones - biscuits and what we call biscuits they call cookies.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2007 03:55AM by PennyG.

It's Buttermilk scones for me every time ... if you want the recipe I use send me a pm and I will mail it to you.

Penny forgot to put the website address in her post, so I have done a google search for pictures of scones for you Mahek. Here are a variety of scones, some cut with biscuit cutters, others cut free-form with a knife. They are usually eaten with strawberry jam and cream, but you can put whatever you like on them. They can also be cooked sweet by adding sugar and things like chopped up dates, or savoury by leaving out the sugar and adding cheese and/or herbs. Feta cheese and olives make very tasty savoury scones.

[images.google.co.nz]

If you click on any of the pictures you should be taken to the original page which will also have the recipe on it.

hi
GIRLS!!! YOU ALL ARE SUCH SWEETHEARTS!!!!!!
I REALLY LOVE YOU ALL FOR THE PROMPTNESS WITH WHICH YOU GIVE ENTHUSIASTIC REPLIES

HAPPY NEW YEAR " 2007 " TO ALL OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES.

mahek

hi
Penny
Thanks a lot for your recipe it seems just right and with all the ingredients available i am sure i will be able to make it.

Mnemosyne...
Finally i hear from you...
i would love to have your buttermilk scone recipe and i am sure all the others would too , i always have buttermilk
in my fridge so it would be a boon.

LORNA,
i dont know how to thank you for going into the trouble of searching out the site for me to see the images of the scones
thanks a lot...............

If you look back at my previous post I have now added the website with the pictures. This is a great website with excellent information about scones (and other sorts of baking) and lots of yummy recipes. I have copied a number to try.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2007 03:58AM by PennyG.

THANKS PENNY!!!!

Hi Mahek, it was no trouble at all. It's really simple: you type Scones (or whatever you want pictures of) into your Google search engine and click on 'images' and Voila, there they are! I do this a lot to find pictures to add to the recipes I have in my laptop recipe book. Recipes with pictures are so much more interesting than those without.

yes!!!!
i absolutely agree with you LORNA