Scones, just a little snack of something to sustain

The beauty of scones is their potential, the potential to pile them high with cream and jam, to serve a big plain scone as bread, to add a sugary sweet crust or fat raisins. They can be the prop of an afternoon tea as well as feeding a crowd. Scones are cheap, quick and easy to make, however, I have learnt there a tricks to making them soft, buttery and the perfect vehicle for layers of toppings.

• work quickly and don't handle the dough too much. As soon as the dough has come together, cut the circles and get them in the oven. The dough should feel light and fragile, as if you can feel the rising agent working when you handle it. 
• keep your ingredients cold
• put a baking tray in the oven whilst the oven is warming up, a hot baking tray will help the scones to rise 
• soak the fruit to make it extra juicy 
• adding an egg glaze and sugar to the top makes for a nice crunchy sweet finish to the creamy fillings
• serve them warm and fresh, they don't keep well so consume quickly, not a problem for me usually. 

I use two recipes for scones, one is crumbly and buttery, the other soft but easier to cream and jam, perfect for cricket teas and feeding more people. The one i love to make is the first by Jamie Oliver, from the book 'Jamie's Great Britain', one of my favorite and most used cookery books. 

makes 16 to 20 scones

150g dried fruit, such as sour cherries, apricots, raisins or sultanas

orange juice for soaking 

150g cold unsalted butter

500g self raising flour

2 level teaspoons of baking powder

2 heaped teaspoons or golden caster sugar

sea slat

2 large free range eggs 

4 tablespoons milk

1. Put the dried fruit in a bowl and add orange juice to cover and leave for a few hours or overnight. 
2. Pre heat the oven to 200oC/400oF/gas 6
3. Put your butter, flour, baking powder, sugar and a good pinch of salt into a bowl and use your thumbs and forefingers to break up the butter and rub into the flour to form little cornflakes pieces
4. Make a well in the center, add the eggs and milk and stir with a spatula 
5. Drain the soaked fruit and add it to the mixture, bring the dough together until it is a scruffy mess, at this point you are done.
6. Roll the dough out until it is 2-3cm thick, with a 6cm round cutter cut out circles and place on a baking sheet. Re roll any off cuts to form more scones.
7. Brush the top of each scone with extra milk or some melted butter and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden.
8. Once cooled down a little spread with clotted cream, jam, lemon curd or any topping that takes your fancy.