Scones. Easiest recipe ever.

I think these are called 'biscuits' in America; to me, biscuits are what Americans call cookies, and these are most definitely scones (uncooked, in the picture below, but keep reading...).



There is something very simple and delicious about a scone, warm from the oven, with raspberry jam and proper whipped cream (not the spray rubbish, which has no guts at all).

I was meeting some travelling family members today, so I made a batch of scones for them to take on their way.

You may have your simple scone recipe, and I respect that.  But if you want my simple scone recipe...I'm happy to share.  Three reasons I like it: the scones taste great, it's very quick and you don't have to rub any butter into flour (which I always found to be something I didn't much enjoy) as the fat is added more cleverly.  This also means a less handled dough, and softer/lighter scones.

ROORUU'S EASIEST SCONE RECIPE EVER

Note: Australian cup measurements are used: mess around a tad with your own measures and you'll be able to get it right.  I don't have measures from other countries, so I can't do assorted versions of this.  But it's not a hard recipe to tweak.

2 cups self raising flour
pinch salt (best left in, it does add to the flavour)
1/2 cup thickened cream*
3/4 cup milk

Oven at 220degC. 

Put flour and salt in a bowl, mix, make a well.  Pour in the cream and milk, mix till it's a soft (still slightly sticky, not dry) dough.  Place the dough on a floured board, lightly flour it (and your hands) then knead very lightly, just turning the top in until the bottom is smooth and you can flip it over and pat it out. 

Line a lamington tin with baking paper and cut out about 12 scones (I like decently sized ones).  Place them touching in the tin (my theory being that they push each other up and have softer sides this way, rather than being individual bullets).  You can do the glaze thing if you want to, but I don't - wastes an egg and I prefer the floury look.

Bake for 12-20 minutes (depends on your oven).

Enjoy.

*Thickened cream contains (in descending order): cream, skim milk, sugar, halal gelatine, thickener, emulsifier, dextrose and a minimum 35% milk fat.  The last item is the key, as this is the replacement for butter in the scones.  If you don't have thickened cream around, use 35% milk fat cream, not skinny.  Mind you, I usually use skinny milk for the milk, as it's what's most often in the fridge.



Yum.

btw, if you use this recipe or put it on your blog, could you bing a link back here as your source?  My source for this recipe was a colleague, Margaret, twenty years ago.  And I'm still grateful.
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You can of course play with this.  Savoury ones, cheese, or spinach and feta?  I worked out a spinach and feta version here.  And, on checking, I've blogged this recipe before.  But what the heck.  It was part of today, it still works, and maybe you weren't reading this blog back then.  Or you just want a scone recipe now.  (I was amused to read how I wrote it then - the same but different.  Also, it wasn't illustrated).