Scones, Strawberry Jam & Chantilly Cream

Instead of tea time, I made this for breakfast. This is a good recipe and it is barely sweetened, very tasty, flaky and tender. You can make the dough a day earlier, put it in the freezer and bake it whenever you need it. For this recipe, you do not need to defrost the scones, bake it rock hard straight from the freezer, it IS that easy. I bake this whenever I run out of ideas for breakfast for the family.

The Scone is a small British quick bread, traditionally hailing from Scotland. They are usually made of wheat flour, with baking powder as a leavening agent. It is similar to but different from both a cake and a current bun.

The pronunciation of the word within the United Kingdom varies. Most of the British and Scottish pronounce it as "con" with the 's' in front. This is also the pronunciation of Australians, Canadians and New Zealanders. Other regions, particularly the United States, pronounce the word as " cone" with the 's' in front. British dictionaries usually show the "con" form as the preferred pronunciation, while recognising that the "cone" form also exists.

I like to eat my scones with Chantilly cream and homemade strawberry jam. They are a perfect match.

 

 

Scones (makes around 18)

 

Ingredients

 

60g raisins

470g flour

1 ½ tbsp sugar

1 ½ tbsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

170 chilled unsalted butter

320g chilled whipping cream

For egg wash

1 egg yolk

30g cream

1.     Preheat oven 200 C

2.     Soak raisins in warm water for 15 minutes, drain and pat dry.

3.     Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together.

4.     Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

5.     Toss in cut chilled butter and mix till fine crumbs using a pastry blender.  Add

      raisins.

6.     Make a well in the centre, pour in cream until it comes together.

7.     Do not over mix, as long as it comes together, stop mixing.

8.     Pat dough well using hands onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough into   

      half then to a quarter. This is to create layers in the scones.

 9.  Once again pat the thick dough into one inch thick.

10. Use 5 to 6 cm round cutter to cut scones.

11. At this point you can store the unbaked cut scones in a covered container in the 

      freezer between plastic wraps and bake it whenever you feel like it and there is

      no need to defrost first.

12. You can of course bake it straight away by putting the scones on a baking

       tray lined with baking paper or Silpat after step 10.

13. Mix the egg yolk and the cream together.

13.   Brush egg yolk mixture onto scones before baking.

14.   Bake for 20 min. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with Chantilly cream and

       strawberry jam.

 

Chantilly Cream

 

Chantilly cream, or crème chantilly in French is to use to impress your friends, it is simply sweetened whipped cream flavoured with vanilla.

 

180 ml whipping cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Whip cream at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, add icing sugar and continue to whip till soft peak forms.

 

 

Strawberry Jam

 

250g fresh strawberries (hulled and cut into halves)

100g sugar

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

 

Mix all the ingredients except the rose extract in a small pot over a small flame.

Stir often and cook till jam consistency.

Remove from flame and cool. 

 

                      Pastry Blender