On Sunday mornings we usually have no where we need to be so we take the opportunity to have a more leisurely breakfast. A frequent request is for raspberry scones. There is something wonderful about sitting down with a warm scone just out of the oven and a freshly brewed coffee (or hot chocolate).
We always have a supply of frozen raspberries from our garden in the freezer and they are great for baking. The fact that they are frozen makes it easier to add them to the scone mix as they don’t turn to mush when mixing.
There are a few secrets to making a light fluffy scone, some of which I learned this year while teaching a cookery class! The other instructor is a great baker and I’ve learned a lot from her.
- Always sift your flour and try to get as much air into your flour as possible
- Use gentle fingers when combining the flour and butter into breadcrumbs
- Use a knife to mix the wet ingredients into the butter/flour combination
- Don’t over knead, just gently knead enough to create the dough
- When using a scone cutter, don’t twist as you cut. This will prevent the scone from rising.
You will see in the recipe that the amount of buttermilk is listed as between 3 and 5 tablespoons. Some times you will need about 3 tablespoons and sometimes 5. This can depend on the flour you are using or the size of the egg or other factors. Always add the smaller amount first as it is easy to add more more but impossible to remove it.
Roll the dough to about 2 cm thick and cut into shapes, being careful not to twist the cutter.
Raspberry Scones
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 75 g butter cubed
- 1 egg beaten
- 3-5 tbsp buttermilk
- 90 g frozen raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas Mark 4
- Sift the flour into a bowl
- Add the salt and baking powder
- Cut the butter into cubes and use your fingertips to rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs
- Beat the egg in a cup or bowl. Keep a little of the beaten egg to glaze the scones.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour/butter mix and add the beaten egg and 3 tbsp of buttermillk
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients gently using a knife. If the mix is too dry then add more buttermilk and continue to combine
- Add the frozen raspberries and mix gently
- When the dough has just come together, remove it from the bowl and knead it gently on a floured board
- Roll the dough out to about 2cm thick and use a scone or cookie cutter to shape your scones. Be care not to twist the cutter as you cut
- Glaze the scones with the remaining beaten egg. If you forgot to keep back some egg, then use some milk instead
- Bake the scones in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Deirdre
Good recipe idea easy