Scones are one of the quickest things to make when you feel the urge to bake. Made with just a few basic ingredients, a good scone is buttery, light, and absolutely delicious slathered with either clotted cream or butter and raspberry jam (my favourite.) Scones also freeze well, and depending on your family size and their eating habits you can either make one large round scone and score the top into “slices” (as you would slice a pie or a round cake) or make a dozen small scones, similar to the tea biscuits found in some North American bakeries.
This is an easy scone recipe that evolved into a lemon oatmeal scone recipe as I experimented with various flavors and additions over the years. Two easy substitutions to try are cranberries or blueberries for the raisins. If you like oatmeal replace 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour with quick-cooking oats (NOT instant!) A key piece of advice as to how to make scones: use a light hand when mixing the dough, or else the finished scone will be tough in texture and your children (and/or husband) will be tempted to throw them at unsuspecting visitors instead of eating them.
Happy Baking!
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup white sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold butter
1 large egg, beaten
juice of 1/2 lemon
two percent milk
1 cup raisins
Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a cookie sheet (I keep my butter wrappers and grease the pan with these.) Using a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender or two butter knives, cut in butter and combine until the mixture resembles coarse peas. Break an egg into a glass measuring cup, and beat well. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon. Pour in enough milk to make 1 cup of liquid. Mix well and let it sit for five minutes.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, and pour the liquid in, mixing with a light hand as you pour. Add in raisins. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured cutting board and knead gently, only until the dough is well-shaped and not too crumbly. Shape into twelve individual scones and place on the buttered baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, checking after 12 minutes. They will be ready when the tops are browned. Cool on the baking sheet for three minutes, then on a cooling rack. Serve warm with butter and jam. Yummy!
