Yes, I’m back, well not really, only intermittently. The last few years have been a nightmare, ‘nuff said. We’ve all had a terrible time in different ways, it’s not a competition. Baking opportunities have been limited, but if I get one, I grab it, because for that short time I can forget about everything else. It is my rare break back into a bit of normality.
I kept thinking I need to break this mental block I have about baking scones in the traditional way (rubbing the butter into the flour). I have a good recipe, and it’s super easy, for scones made with oil instead of butter, but the other difference is that these are dolloped on to the baking tray, not cut out, and the end product whilst very light and tasty, is also very crumbly and falls apart a bit too easily. A traditionally baked scone looks so much better and holds together well. You could give someone a plate of traditionally baked scones and say smugly “there you are” and feel proud of your creation – looks are everything in this case. Whereas I feel I have to apologise for the appearance and crumbly texture of my scone recipe.
In Norwich there is a fabulous department store called Jarrolds. Mention Jarrolds and a lot of people will mention their delicious cheese scones….luckily for us, during lockdown Jarrolds published their cheese scone recipe in social media, and in the absence of being able to go into the store to sample them, I felt obliged to try the recipe.
I have made this a few times, each time thinking next time I will do better. I do feel a bit more confident baking these now, but I wouldn’t say I’ve aced it yet. My best is yet to come! Having said that, each time I’ve baked these scones, they’ve been delicious, I’m just critical of my own efforts. With this recipe I have upped the quantity of paprika and mustard powder, and omitted the cayenne pepper – this is a matter of taste, but they really do make a difference. I have (once out of necessity) substituted almond milk for the dairy milk. I tend to use a mixture of mature cheddar and Gruyere cheeses (I don’t like parmesan). Do what works for you. These really are delicious scones. I actually think the egg wash doesn’t bring anything to the party, the scones are so cheesey, that they look beautifully golden brown on the top without help. But that’s just me. Do yourselves a favour and bake these 😊
Makes 6 large / 12 small scones
Ingredients:
300g self-raising flour
65g butter
2 medium sized eggs
135ml milk
120g mature cheddar
35g parmesan
Pinch of paprika, cayenne pepper and mustard powder (adjust to taste)
Large pinch salt
Method:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees (200 fan).
Mix together dry ingredients. Add in the butter and rub together til mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add in the grated cheese and mix in well.
Combine the milk and eggs, make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and pour in enough of the liquid to create a soft but firm dough.
Place dough on floured surface, using a rolling pin to roll out to approx. 1 ¼ inch thick. Cut out scones with a circle cutter and place on lined baking tray. Brush with egg wash.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, I wish you a peaceful weekend 🙂
RockCakes&Ramblings 