Ingredients
The farm gate classic. Twelve scones in half an hour, and the jam is the point.
Scones are a fifteen-minute job that people treat as difficult. The only real rules are a light hand and a hot oven, overworked dough makes them tough, and a cool oven makes them spread instead of rise.
Method
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Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) and line a tray.
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Rub the butter into the flour, sugar and salt with your fingertips until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.
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Make a well, pour in most of the milk, and bring it together with a butter knife using a cutting motion. Add the rest of the milk only if it is dry. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
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Tip onto a floured bench and pat — do not roll — to about 3 cm thick. Handle it as little as you possibly can.
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Cut straight down with a floured 5 cm cutter and do not twist. Twisting seals the edge and stops them rising evenly.
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Sit them on the tray just touching each other, which helps them rise upwards, and brush the tops with milk.
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Bake 12 minutes until risen and golden. Serve warm with jam and cream.
Tips
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Cream first or jam first is a fight nobody wins. We do jam first so you can see how much you are getting.
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Scones are best within two hours. Freeze any leftovers and warm them from frozen.
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Push the scraps together gently for the last few — do not knead them back into a ball.