The Singapore Forum

Got someone coming over? Here are two quick and easy recipes for scones. Each recipe takes about 30 minutes from start to finished product, and makes about 16 scones if your pastry cutter is about 5cm in diameter. Scones are best served warm with jam, cream, coffee or tea and good company.

Recipe #1: Basic Scones

Ingredients:

• plain flour (for dusting)
• 3 cups self-raising flour
• 80g butter, cubed, chopped or grated
• 1 to 1¼ cups milk
• jam and whipped cream to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (a bit less for convection/fan-forced). Lightly dust a flat baking tray with plain flour. Sift the self-raising flour into a large bowl.
2. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Make a well in the centre and add 1 cup of milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until you get a soft dough, adding more milk if needed.
4. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth. Don't over-knead!
5. Roll or pat the dough into a 2cm thick round and cut out 12 rounds, then squish the remaining dough together and cut out the remaining rounds.
6. Place the rounds onto the baking tray, about 1cm apart. Sprinkle the tops with a little plain flour, then bake for 20-25 minutes until well-risen and golden.
7. Cool your scones on a wire rack.

Recipe #2: Buttermilk Scones

Ingredients:

• plain flour (for dusting)
• 2½ cups self-raising flour
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 60g butter, cubed, chopped or grated
• 1 to 1¼ cups buttermilk
• jam and whipped cream to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (a bit less for convection/fan-forced). Lightly dust a flat baking tray with plain flour. Sift the self-raising flour into a large bowl and add the sugar.
2. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Make a well in the centre and add 1 cup of buttermilk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until you get a soft dough, adding more milk if needed.
4. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth. Don't over-knead!
5. Roll or pat the dough into a 2cm thick round and cut out 12 rounds, then squish the remaining dough together and cut out the remaining rounds.
6. Place the rounds onto the baking tray, about 1cm apart. Brush the tops with a little milk, then bake for 15-17 minutes until well-risen and golden.
7. Cool your scones on a wire rack.

Note:
The trick to making scones that rise and are light is not to overwork the dough - as soon as your ingredients are combined, chuck the dough onto a floured board, knead gently for a few seconds, then press or roll it and cut out the rounds. Scones are best eaten on the day they're made.

Haven't read all the recipe yet, just wanted to pop in the g'mas lesson to me, to grate the fat into the flour, and minimise the finger tips contact.

I love that your recipe asks for the flour/butter to be done by hand, so sick of new recipes saying to use a food processor, there is something good about doing it by hand or is that just me??? Love your grandma's tip Tas!

yummm...scones...so bad but taste so good!