The Recipe
Makes: 12 x 50g scones
Preparation: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 12-15 minutes
The perfect cream scones for afternoon tea - clotted cream and strawberry jam is a must!
We all know about the age old tradition of afternoon tea in the United Kingdom.. consisting of cream scones, cute little crustless sandwiches and loose leaf tea... It is a tradition that was common amongst the upper-class societies in the 1800s and was a light meal, served between 4 and 6.
The tradition of this afternoon tea today is prevalent throughout the world with hotels and established restaurants offering this in-between meal that can be most opulent.
It is also a big tradition in Argentina, which is a reminder of the migration of British citizens to the country between 1837-1901. This was the Victorian Era when Argentina had gained independence from Spain and at the time it was an informal empire of the United Kingdom due to economic influences.
The immigrants to Buenos Aires in particular were industrialists and potential landowners who established their cultures with sports clubs (Cordoba Athletics Club, The Hurlingham Club), Harrods in 1912, and afternoon tea, known as Merienda consisting of baked goods, mate (an infusion of ground leaves and stems from the yerba mate shrub), coffee and always, always, dulce de leche.
A super easy recipe for these traditional scones (Skones or Skons, however, you want to pronounce it).
Enjoy crumbling in the flour and butter between your fingertips (my favourite bit), and of course.. eating them!
INGREDIENTS
260g plain flour
Pinch of fine sea salt
30g caster sugar
15g baking powder
120g unsalted butter, cubed
110g cream
1 Egg yolk (brushing on top)
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200’C
Whisk the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder
Rub in the cold butter to coarse breadcrumb consistency
Stir through the cream until the dough comes together
Cut/shape the scones into 50g pieces. It should be about 2.5cm thick before baking. If you don't want to weigh the scones - that's fine with me. You can even use cookie cutters to create different shapes if your heart desires so.
When shaped, place onto a lined tray and brush with egg yolk. Bake for 12-18 minutes until golden brown. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack
It is most important to eat scones slightly warmed, with clotted (or thick double) cream and always good strawberry jam.
