[baking: scones]

A friend came over for tea today, so I thought I'd relieve my cream tea experience from Montague Arms in Beaulieu, the New Forest (England). I set the table with tea cups and had the teapot warming before I made the tea. I tried my hands at some scones (first time) and they went down quite well.

What you'll need:

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup white sugar

2 ½ tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup cold butter

1 cup milk

Before you start mixing, have your oven heating up to 400F. Then get your baking trays ready (greased and floured). 


Basically you want to sift and then mix your dry ingredients together so that's the flour, sugar, baking power, baking soda and salt. Add your cold butter. It helps to dice it first so it's easier to blend. When you have floury breadcrumbs you're ready to add in your milk. You don't want your dough too sticky so add just enough milk to get a silky smooth dough. At this point some people like to add sultanas....not me! 


Now it's time to shape your scones. You can roll out the dough (about 2 cm thick is good) and then use cookie cutters to make your shape. Usually scones are circular but I had some maple leaf cookie cutters so I tried those. Some patriotic scones. Bake for about 12 minutes. When I took my scones out of the oven I brushed them with butter and then sprinkled with icing sugar. Decadent and quite delish.