I almost feel like starting with an apology today, since I’m doing something so incredibly prosaic.

But, I figure, a good scone is a very fine thing. And particularly fine with afternoon tea or coffee.

It’s perfect, really, for the classic CWA cook. And we should all aspire to be that good!

They’re ready quickly, use simple always-in-the-pantry ingredients, and are a wonderful showcase for homemade jam.  In this case,  it was some apricot jam from the fruit off our tree this past summer, and my favourite this year, strawberry guava and apple.

I have no truck with the modern made-with-lemonade versions. Scones aren’t sweet and have no need to be, with all that jam and cream piled on top. So I went with a very traditional taste.com recipe that was easy and made wonderful, light scones.

Scones

Heat oven to 230C

Sift into a bowl:
3 cups self-raising flour
I tsp caster sugar
pinch salt

Mix in with the fingers until the mix is like fine breadcrumbs:
50g pieces of soft butter

Add 1¼ cups milk and mix in. I didn’t have quite enough milk, and so used a little kefir to make up the quantity. (The original recipe suggests a butter knife to do the mixing, but I just used a wooden spoon).

Put out on a lightly floured bench and knead briefly,  just until a dough is  formed. Use fingers to press out the dough out to about a 2cm thickness.

Use a small round cutter to cut out your scones (the suggestion is 5cm; I used a small glass. This quantity made 13). Brush a little milk over the top.

Cook about 10-12 minutes on the top shelf of the oven. I went for the longer time, and they were a little dark. I probably could either have brought them down a shelf or reduced the cooking time slightly.

Verdict: I was proud of them.