Paul’s fruit scones are beautifully light and made even more delicious when loaded up with clotted cream and jam. These are a relatively quick bake and great to do with children; you can use any dried fruit you like.
Makes:
16
Difficulty:
Easy
Baking Time:
15 mins
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- Ingredients
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Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/Gas 7 and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Step 2
Add the flour, butter and baking powder to a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour using just the tips of your fingers, lifting your hands up above the rim of the bowl so the crumbs and flakes of the mixture fall through your fingers back into the bowl. Keep doing this until the mixture looks like fine crumbs – give the bowl a shake to check there are no lumps of butter visible. Add in the caster sugar and stir to combine.
Step 3
Beat the eggs into the milk, just until combined, then stir this mixture into the crumbs using your hands to form a fairly soft, but not wet dough. If there are dry crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, or the dough feels dry and seems difficult to bring together, add a little more milk a teaspoon at a time. The dough should look a bit rough and shaggy so don’t overwork it, and try to keep a light touch. Add the dried fruit.
Step 4
Lightly flour your fingers and the worktop and turn the dough out onto it. Knead the dough very gently for just a couple of seconds, so it looks slightly smoother and the dried fruit is fully incorporated, then gently roll the dough out to about 3cm thick.
Step 5
Dip the cutter in some flour (this will make it easier to cut out the scones without them sticking) and stamp out rounds. Gather up the trimmings, press them together and stamp out more rounds.
Step 6
Arrange the rounds on the lined baking sheet, setting them slightly apart to give them space to grow. Brush the tops with some of the egg wash, and rest in the fridge for 5–10 minutes. Brush again with more egg wash.
Step 7
Bake for about 12–15 minutes, or until a rich golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Eat warm from the oven.
