Here today.....scone tomorrow!!!

Everyone has something they can't seem to do but desperately wants to. With regards baking my biggest annoyance was that I couldn't seem to make scones that rise. For a while now I've been frustrated that I couldn't make scones properly - I go to local coffee shops where the scones are beautifully risen and taste gorgeous but all I could produce was something that slightly resembled a pancake!

My scones weren't high enough to split open and fill with jam or cream so we had to settle with either putting this on top of the scone or sandwiching two together!

After quite a few months of boring everyone I knew with this I have finally had my eureka moment. This morning whilst the children were busy bouncing on the trampoline (or bounceoline as they call it) I decided to do some baking (as then I could do something useful whilst also being able to watch them through the kitchen window!)

I searched amongst my, numerous, recipe books and landed upon a recipe for scones that I hadn't tried before and armed with my new knowledge (use chilled butter, cold hands and don't play with the mixture too much) I got stuck in!

I started to do as the recipe suggested and rubbed the butter and flour together with my fingers but got bored with this and put it in the mixer instead. Did the same job with much less effort!! Once I had added all the ingredients I made sure that I only mixed it enough to bind everything together and used my hands, not a rolling pin, to flatten the dough out slightly ready to be cut. Using my new pastry cutters (just round but slightly deeper than my cookie cutters) I made 10 scones. I placed them on an oven tray and, to my utter astonishment, put them in the oven and watched them RISE!!!! Hoorah

I even took some photos of them as I am so proud! It may be a small achievement to some to me it proves that perservence pays off!! They tasted gorgeous too so I'll be whipping up another batch sometime soon to show off to all my friends.

Here's the recipe;

Preheat oven to 200C/ Gas Mark 6
Grease baking tray

400g Plain Flour
Pinch of salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons caster sugar
85g chilled butter

Rub the above ingredients together until they resemble fine breadcrumbs (or alternatively place in your mixer!!)

1 teaspoon lemon juice
7fl oz milk
2 eggs

Whisk the above ingredients together in a jug

Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and stir in the liquid mixture until the ingredients bind together (do not overmix!)

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface.

Press the dough out until about 3cm think. Cut out using a round cutter and place onto the baking tray.

Bake for 12 mins or until golden brown.