Cream tea scones
Ingredients:
3 cups Bakers Fresh All Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar, to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
additional cream, for brushing on scones
coarse white sparkling sugar, for topping
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or not; it helps with cleanup, but isn’t necessary to prevent sticking).
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Sprinkle the vanilla over the dry ingredients, then drizzle in the cream, tossing and stirring gently all the while and adding just enough to make a cohesive dough. There shouldn’t be any dry flour in the bottom of the bowl, but the dough shouldn’t be particularly sticky, either.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface. Divide the dough in half, and gently pat each half into a 5 1/2″ circle about 3/4″ thick.
- Brush each circle with cream, and sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired.
- Place the two circles of dough on the baking sheet, and cut each into 6 wedges. Pull the wedges apart a bit, leaving them in a circular pattern with about 1″ space between each wedge.
- For best rising, place the pan of scones into the freezer for 15 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Bake the chilled scones for 14 to 15 minutes, until they’re starting to brown, and they’re baked all the way through, without any wet dough in the centre.
- Remove the scones from the oven. Serve warm, split and spread with a bit of sweet butter and jam or preserves.
- Store cooled scones airtight at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage. To refresh, microwave individual scones very briefly; or place scones on a baking sheet, tent with aluminium foil, and reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until heated through.
