simple fruit scones
During our trip to Ireland, we took a cooking lesson with Kate, a local baker in Galway County. We had a great time with our energetic host learning how to make scones and Irish soda bread (also called simply, brown bread - recipe here). We thought the traditional baking was going to be very complicated and challenging. It turned out to be the exact opposite! It was surprisingly simple and the results were delicious.
I made lavender scones with fresh lavender from Kate’s exquisite garden. Julien made his with orange zest and pomegranate seeds. Try both, or if you’re feeling adventurous make your own variation!
Simple Fruit Scones
Recipe from Kate (you can book Kate’s AirBnB experience here)
Ingredients
4 oz. self-raising flour
pinch baking powder
1 oz. Caster (powdered) sugar
1 oz. butter
fruit or herbs of your choice
(Kate often adds 1 oz. of raisins. Chelsea used a heaping tablespoon of fresh lavender. Julien added a tablespoon of orange zest, fresh juice from half of a small orange, and a small 1/4 cup of pomegranate seeds.)1 egg, lightly beaten
40 ml. milk (you may need a little more)
extra flour to lightly coat countertop
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp. of water to glaze
powdered sugar for dusting
Method
Add all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Cut butter into dry ingredient mixture.
Expert tip from Kate: Use your hands to mix everything; it helps avoid over mixing.Add your choice of fruit or herbs. If you choose a dry addition, such as lavender or raisins, add a little extra milk in the next step.
Add the beaten egg and milk and mix lightly until dough is formed. Do not over mix.
Lightly flour a countertop or other flat surface. Take the dough out of the bowl and place on the floured surface.
Flatten the dough to about 2 inches thick.
Expert tip from Kate: Don’t worry about the dough being exactly 2 inches thick throughout. It’s important not to flatten the air and fluffiness out of the dough.Cut scones from dough with a round cutter. Reshape excess dough and cut into scones until no dough remains.
Expert tip from Kate: Start cutting from the edges to maximize the number of scones and minimize the amount of excess dough you need to reshape.Brush egg wash on each scone.
Place scones on a baking tray and bake for approximately 20 minutes in a “fan oven” (aka convection oven) at 150C (300F).
Once slightly cooled, dust scones with powdered sugar.
Enjoy warm with butter and jam!
