Bake to ‘Bake’sics – Scones

I love a cheeky Friday off. I still work for sure, but not feeling obligated to live in the library between lectures feels amazing, so much more freedom. And hence, I thought it was high time to regain the balance between the two topics in the title of this little blog and actually do some baking; something simple and delicious where I could really concentrate on the skills to get the best outcome, rather than experimenting (and getting it wrong!). As an teen I worked in a small restaurant in the seaside town of Rye, East Sussex. Cream tea with scones were very popular, the quintessential teatime treat so I had quite a bit of practice! Here’s the old recipe with a twist of mixed summer berries.

Ingredients
300g self-raising flour
100g granulated sugar
pinch salt (optional)
120g unsalted butter, cold
1 large egg
100g or 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
About 100-150g mixed berries (definitely recommend using frozen, keep frozen so berries bleed/run less)
coarse brown sugar for sprinkling before baking

Method

1. First, preheat the oven to about 190C, it’s hot but these hardy scones will be thick and fluffy.
2. In a large bowl, add the flour, and salt. Combine the dry then add the butter. Pre-cutting into cubes makes this step easier but I really recommend using your hands. Crumbling the butter in with warm hands leads to an even breadcrumb consistency….and the best bakers get a little dirty!
3. In a second bowl, use a whisk to combine the egg, greek yoghurt and vanilla until smooth, then pour wet mixture over dry. Fold gently until just combined to form a wet dough (a splash of milk may be needed depending on your yoghurt).
4. Fold in the berries. Being frozen, they should hold their colour and keep the dough colder, making it easier to handle and aids a higher rise when in the hot oven.
5. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and form a 20cm round. Add more flour if the dough is too tacky to manipulate. Now cut the round into 8 equal triangles, ready for the oven!
6. Thoroughly grease a flat baking sheet and transfer the wedges using a spatula or fish-slice at least 2-inches apart then sprinkle each wedge with a generous pinch of granulated brown demerara sugar.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until scones are very lightly golden and cooked through (testing using a small sharp knife which should come out clean) Due to the hot oven, I watched mine like a hawk after about 15 minutes to prevent over-baking.
8. Once baked, leave for 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack, sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy!