‘Scouwn’ or ‘scon’? That is the eternal question. Well for me it has always been a ‘scon’.
Tasty, simple and highly dependable, while other fancy trends such as the macaron and the cupcake have come and gone, this most traditional of teatime treats has remained strong, sitting proudly at the top of many a fancy cake stand alongside its two steadfast chums, the noble cream and the humble jam.
I have tried many different scone recipes over the years- some use milk but no eggs, some require a glaze and some are savoury and some are sweet.
Now even though I make a lot of sweet things, truth be told, I am really much more of a savoury girl at heart. This is why I thought scones would be a perfect opportunity to feature my first savoury bake.
The scone recipe you see below (minus the pesto and feta) is one of my own devising and is definitely the one that I will continue to pass on to friends and family- its easy to do and allows for you to add different ingredients of either the sweet or savoury variety without running the risk of the scones spreading or not rising properly.
I decided to go with pesto and feta for this particular batch and they were really rather delicious!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 7
Ingredients:
450g Self Raising Flour
100g Butter (softened)
200ml Milk
1 Egg (plus 1 more for an egg wash)
1 tsp baking powder
3 Tablespoons of Pesto
100g of Feta- roughly crumbled
Half a handful of mixed seeds or pine nuts
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7
2. Place the flour, baking powder and butter in a large bowl.
3. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until the mix starts to resemble breadcrumbs.
4. Using a fork, whisk together the egg and milk and then pour into a well in the centre of the flour and butter mix.
5. Mix the two together using a knife and then add the pesto and feta.
6. Now bring the mix together using your hands and then tip out onto a floured surface.
7. Roll the scone mix into a sausage shape and then flatten the edges until it resembles a long ‘brick’ shape- this will ensure your scones come out as neat triangles.
8. Cut one of the corners off the end and then continue cutting in a ‘zigzag’ pattern so that the scone ‘brick’ becomes 7 triangular scones… see diagram below
9. Place the scones on two baking trays lined with baking parchment.
10. Beat the egg with a fork and then brush the scones with the beaten egg mix. Then sprinkle the scones with mixed seeds or pine nuts.
11. Bake for 10- 15 minutes until the scones are golden brown.
Serve while still warm and with lashings of butter.
