Scones are very easy and quick pastries of Scottish origin, which accompany tea time. They are enjoyed freshly baked, filled with butter and jam, lemon curd, Nutella, or honey. The dough, slightly sweet and with a neutral flavor, can be enriched with blueberries, chocolate chips, raisins; furthermore, some recipes include eggs, others do not, like this one. They are prepared in half an hour and are very useful when unexpected guests arrive, especially children. The scone recipe came to me from far away. It was actually passed to my sister-in-law by her true English friend. Original scones have a thickness of about 2 fingers and the consistency is similar to shortcrust pastry. I’ve enjoyed giving them different sizes and shapes. I also prepared some cocoa ones by adding cocoa powder to some of the dough.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 15
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3.5 tbsp butter at room temperature
- 2.5 tbsp sugar
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1/2 packet baking powder
- 3.5 oz milk
- as needed milk for brushing
- as needed flour for the table
- as needed flavorings or liqueur (optional)
Preparation
With these quantities, you can make about 15 mini scones with a diameter of about 2 inches. If you want to make larger ones, you need to double the quantities I indicated. The amount of milk absorbed can vary from flour to flour, and the amount I indicated serves to obtain a compact but not hard dough that is easy to work with, roll out, and cut, so I recommend adding the milk a little at a time.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, place the flour and butter. Using your fingertips, crumble the butter into the flour until you obtain a “sandy” mixture. Add the sugar, baking powder, salt, flavorings, and milk a little at a time.
Quickly knead all the ingredients to obtain a smooth and compact dough similar to shortcrust pastry. Flour the work surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin, giving it a thickness of 2 fingers. Begin cutting out the scones with a cutter (or a glass, small cup, etc.) and place them on the baking sheet.
Continue like this until the dough is finished. Each time it is necessary, knead again to obtain and cut more scones. Before baking them, brush them with a little milk and granulated sugar.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes. Let them also brown on the surface.
Take them out of the oven, let them cool slightly, cut them, and fill them according to your tastes. Immediately place the leftover scones in a food bag; this way, they will remain delicious even the next day.
