Ingredients
250 g Self Raising Flour (incidentally if, like me you have no SR flour you can convert plain flour by adding 1tsp baking powder per 150g flour - so 1.5 tsp for this)
2 rounded tsp baking powder
60g softened butter
30g sugar
1 large egg
about 100ml milk
1. Heat oven to 200C Fan. Put parchment on 2 baking trays
- Put flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Cube then add the butter and rub it in with your finger tips till it is all rubbed in
- Put the egg in a measuring jug and make up the volume to 150ml with the milk. Beat together. Keep a little to glaze the scones with
- Add the liquid to the flour in about 3 tranches, stirring between to make a wet dough
- turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and flatten it to approx 1cm thick
- Use a 2in fluted cutter to press out scones (try to push straight rather than twisting it). Flour the cutter to stop them sticking
- Place the scones on the baking tray separated to allow rise. Bring the spare dough back together, flatten and cut more scones until all mixture is used. You should yield 20
- Brush over the reserved glaze and put in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown
- Put on a wire rack to cool and enjoy warm.
Method
However you pronounce the word, the baked good is a staple for all right thinking people. I havent made any for a while, but have made 2 loads in the past couple of weeks. The occasion on this day was that we were throwing a tea party for the Offsprings' favourite Removed Cousin, who was coming up to us for tea. And you cant have proper tea without scones and, of course Raspberry Jam. Yes, it has to be Raspberry - and I made some to go with the scones because, actually if you make it, it is easy to do and you get a lot for your money because you make it out of frozen fruit. I digress.
Scones are literally child's play. In this case the Youngest helped me and did most of the work and made a fine job of it. They were delicious, light and airy but with that lovely fresh baked flavour. They went like hot cakes......
We also made a very lovely chocolate cake to go with the scones, and had crumpets, muffins and cup cakes filled with lemon curd (made by the Removed Cousin, and very nice). And lots of tea, and played lots of games. It was a lovely afternoon and a great way to spend the Late Wife's Deathday. Deathday? Well you know what a Birthday is - well this is the opposite. Calling it an anniversary doesn't seem appropriate as it implies a kind of celebration. And really the English language is not equipped with vocab for the discussion of death and its aftermath. Friends and family get very concerned about your loss again around the Deathday, but there is no real reason for that - the reality of loss is everyday, and for us deathday loses its power to impose grief after a while (3 years I think!). But it does provide an opportunity for remembrance and celebration which is a more appropriate response. So a deathday tea, and a birthday tea rolled into one with friends playing games because playing games is what the Late Wife loved to do, and is what The Offsrping love to do as a result. The Circle of Life.