Plain Sweet Scones

A plain scone is the most popular adaptive little cake-cum-pastry ever
made! It can be either simply sliced in half and spread with butter or
the recipe can be adapted and fruit or cheese added.

To make one batch
You will need:

• 8 oz, 225 G, 2 cups of self-raising flour. 2 oz, 50 G, half a stick, butter or margarine, taken straight from the fridge. a quarter of a pint, 150 ml, 5 fl.oz, or 3-quarters of a cup of milk. 1 and a half level tbsps of caster or fine grade sugar. a tiny pinch of salt.
• flour for dusting.
• you may need a little extra milk.
• a little extra margarine for greasing the tin.

For the filling:

A good spreading of butter for each one, or, 1 small carton
of clotted cream or a quarter of a pint, 150 ml, 5 fl.oz, or 3-quarters
of a cup of double or heavy cream, whipped,
a small jar of Strawberry jam, or jelly (American).

Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 425 F, 220 C, 200 fan

Grease a shallow, oblong baking sheet, (Swiss roll tin).

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
2. Keeping your hands as cool as possible, rub the butter into the flour, using
   your fingertips, which will not take long with such a small amount of fat. (Please
   see my glossary section on making pastry for more detailed information).
3. Now stir in the sugar.
4. Using a round bladed knife, mix in the milk a little at a time and when it
   has all been added, flour your hands and bring the mixture into a ball in your
   bowl. If the mixture won’t come together properly, leaving
   dry bits behind in the bottom of the bowl, you need to drop it back in, add
   a little more milk then try again.
5. Put your dough on a floured board and knead it slightly.
6. Now, using a floured rolling-pin to prevent the dough from sticking to it,
   lightly pat and roll it out to a thickness of about 3-quarters of an inch,
   2 cms, then take a 2 inch, 4.5 cm pastry cutter, it doesn’t matter if it is
   fluted or plain, and tap it down sharply so that it goes straight through the
   dough. Do not twist it or the scones will turn out to be a very strange
   shape!
7. When you have cut out as many as you can, knead the dough together again
   and repeat the rolling and cutting out process.
8. Now, place the scones on the greased baking tray a little way apart.
   Dust each one with flour and bake near the top of the pre-heated oven for
   12 to 15 minutes.
9. When the scones are cooked they will have risen and turned a golden brown
   and be firm to the touch.
10. Transfer them on to a wire rack to cool and eat as soon as they have gone
    cold for the best flavour.
11. Cut them in half, and either just spread them with butter, or, alternatively,
    jam and clotted or whipped cream.