Val Stones’ Delicious Fruit Scones
Remember Val Stones from Great British Bake Off? She's still baking up a storm, and is currently the resident baking expert for Stannah. This traditional fruit scone recipe results in delicious, well-risen scones. Naturally, they should be served with a dollop of clotted cream and some jam - we'll leave it up to you which one you put on first!
15 minutes prep, 14-18 minutes cook
Serves Makes 24 scones
Ingredients
900g strong white bread-flour
50g baking powder
50g custard powder
A pinch of fine sea salt
225g unsalted butter
150g caster sugar
225g sultanas (or a mixture of dried fruits such as currants and sultanas)
Zest of an orange (optional)
300ml whole milk
300ml double cream or yoghurt
4 eggs
Method
Set the oven to 200°C fan, 250C, 425°F, gas 7-8. To rise well, scones need a really hot oven.
Grease a baking sheet and heat in the oven while you make the scones.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, custard powder and salt into a wide bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it disappears. Stir in the caster sugar, sultanas and orange zest.
In a separate bowl beat the milk, cream or yoghurt and eggs until combined and bubbles are appearing. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in two-thirds of the egg mixture. Using a knife, combine to make a soft dough; add more liquid as necessary.
Knead the dough in the bowl for a few turns to make a ball. On a lightly floured work surface, continue to knead to give a smooth surface, then roll out to about 3 cm thick.
Dip the cutter into some flour to prevent it from sticking; cut out scones, re-flouring the cutter as needed, until all the dough is used up.
Take the hot baking sheet from the oven and place the scones on it, a little apart. Brush them with remaining egg mixture.
Bake for 15-20 minutes; the scones should be well risen, golden, and the bottoms also golden. Break a scone open to see if it is baked. If it’s damp, bake for a further 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
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