These lemon scones may just be my best scones to date…..
Scones are my go-to these days when I want to bake. They are quick to make with minimum ingredients that I almost always have at home.
My in-laws lemon tree is yielding fruit this time of year. I’ve taken full advantage of this and made lots of vinaigrette and batches of these lemon scones.
I tried a new method for baking scones – pre-heating the baking tray beforehand. I don’t know if this helps the scones rise to their full potential or what, but I got some lovely little scones which were well received by my children. Therefore, I will continue to pre-heat my baking tray.
The first time I made these scones I accidentally used double the amount of sugar – 50g, they weren’t overly sweet even with the addition of a little jam.
The second time I forgot the sugar all together and definitely preferred my first batch. 25g is a happy medium.
In Algeria, we get confiture rather than jam. It works particularly well when you want the come eat me now look….
- 215g plain flour, or farine blé tendre
- 10g baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 50g cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 25g-50g granulated sugar
- 150ml full-fat milk
- Butter
- Apricot Jam (or confiture)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 220C / 425F / Gas Mark 7. Put a large ungreased baking tray in to get hot.
- In a medium size bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Rub in the butter/margarine and lemon zest until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre and stir in enough of the milk to make a soft dough- you may not need all the milk (I didn’t). Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead very lightly to remove any cracks in the dough.
- Gently roll / pat out by hand to a thickness of 1-1.5cm (2cm if you want 6 tall scones), cut out rounds with a 6cm cookie cutter. Sprinkle tops with a little extra flour and carefully place on the hot baking tray.
- Bake for 8-10mins (10-12 for 6 tall scones) or until well risen and the tops are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and serve split with butter and apricot jam/confiture.
