They come they eat they leave

I made some scrumptious scones for afternoon tea yesterday.  Everybody dived in and ate them hot with butter, jam and cream.  We even have a few left over for today's morning tea.  Then everybody disappeared and I was left to clean up.  At least they said thank you.

Basic Scone dough

450g (3 cups) plain flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
1 tbs caster sugar
80g butter, cubed, at room temperature
250mls (1 cup) milk, at room temperature
Plain flour, extra

Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F. Measure all your ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder  and caster sugar in a medium bowl. Use your fingertips to rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the milk all at once. Use a round- bladed knife to mix together using a cutting motion until evenly incorporated and the mixture begins to hold together. Do not over mix. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it is a little dry, simply add a little more milk. Then bring dough together with your hands.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently about 4-5 times with your hands, by pressing and then turning, until the dough is just smooth. It is important that you knead gently and don't handle the dough too much. If it is overworked the scones will be tough in texture and heavy.

Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough until about 2cm thick. (Alternatively, you can flatten the dough with the palm of your hand). Then use a round 5cm pastry cutter or a glass to cut out the scones. Dip the cutter into the extra flour before cutting out each scone. Use a straight-down motion to cut out the scones. You can re-roll any scraps and cut more scones.

As you cut out the scones, place them on a baking tray, I usually sit them touching each other to help them rise evenly.  Sprinkle the tops of the scones with a little milk and then a little sugar to give them a sweet crunchyness.  Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden and cooked through. The best way to tell if the scones are cooked is to tap the top of one with your fingertips - if it sounds hollow when tapped, they are ready. Alternatively, insert a skewer into a scone - if it comes out clean, they are ready.  Remove the scones from the oven and immediately wrap them in a clean tea towel. Wrapping the scones will keep them warm and will give them a soft crust. Serve warm with lashings of butter or with jam and whipped or thick cream.

I ate mine with wild blueberry jam and mango jam......and cream of course.