Traditional English Scones

English scones are one of my favorite bakes ever! They're the perfect combination of sweet and savory, and you can get as creative or as traditional as you like when you choose what toppings to add. Of course, nothing beats good ole' clotted cream and strawberry jam! (Which one do you put on first?!)

I experimented with this recipe and I've landed on the perfect mixture for the dough. Don't just have a read through, give it go! It uses basic baking ingredients that I'm sure you can find around your kitchen. It only takes about 35 mins from start to finish, including baking time, so you can whip these up whenever you fancy something to have with tea.

Preparation time: 20 mins

Baking time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 500g all-purpose flour

• 150g cold unsalted butter

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tbsp caster sugar

• pinch of salt

• dash of whole milk (add as needed)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large bowl.

3. Cut butter into cubes and add to flour mixture.

4. Crumble butter into flour using your fingers. This should make the flour mixture feel a bit grainy.

*Here is where you can add all sorts of ingredients to your mixture, such as raisins, blueberries, etc. I've kept them plain for this recipe.

5. Make a well in the middle of the mixture.

6. Add a dash of milk and slowly combine with a spoon. Keep adding milk until the mixture forms a dough.

*Remember, don't add too much milk! Keep mixing until the milk is completely incorporated before adding any more.

7. Once you've made a dough, remove it from the bowl and place onto a floured surface.

8. Roll out the dough until it is 1" (2-3cm) thick. Add flour to the rolling pin to make sure the dough doesn't stick while you're rolling it.

9. Using a cookie-cutter or mold, cut circles about 3" in width.

10. Place directly onto a baking tray.

11. Brush melted butter (or oil) onto the top of each circle.

12. Bake in the oven (top row) for about 15 mins.

And that's it! Didn't I say this was super simple?! You could probably brew a hot cup of tea in the same amount of time, and have it ready to enjoy once your scones are fresh out of the oven!

These will be perfectly soft and crumbly, and are definitely best enjoyed while warm. I hope you enjoyed making this recipe, and enjoyed eating it even more!