A fresh golden brown scone with a slightly creased top gently pulls away from its flaky bottom. Dollop in fresh cream and dribble homemade sticky strawberry jam across it. Or vice versa. The order and the choice are yours. The delicate but firm scone with sandwiches sweet jam and fresh cream both melt together into the warmth of the soft bread.
Scones are a classic Australian recipe of bygone years. Aussie housewives used to whip these up while visitors were coming up the driveway! 5 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes in the oven. Pop the kettle on and before you know it a delightful Devonshire tea of fresh scones with jam and cream were ready to present to your guests. Today most of us eat scones at a cafe or for a special occasion at a high tea but they are truly a simple recipe that you can easily make at home.
A classic scone is served with sticky, sweet, vibrant strawberry jam and a good dollop of fresh whipped cream. No butter is necessary. And the order in which you apply either the jam first or the cream first is totally up to you. There are heated debates over which is the correct way but there is no real wrong or right way. Try both and see which you prefer.
What is a scone? A scone is a humble quick bread whose origins can be traced back over 500 years ago in recorded history. Scotland, Ireland, and England all have old recipes for scones. There is a theory that the medieval village ‘Scone’ and the capital of the historical kingdom of Scotland are where their true origins lie. The appeal of this recipe then and now is the simplicity of the recipe to create a quick bread. As scone lovers made treks across the globe the tradition of scones and tea was taken up in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, and America. Often sweet although any combination of flavours can be intertwined with the dough. In Australia date scones, savoury scones and pumpkin scones are popular.
How do I pronounce the word scone? How do you pronounce the word scone? There is no right or wrong way for this. The pronunciation of the word scone varies depending on the origin also. Scottish, English, and Australians tend to say scone which rhymes with gone. Irish and Americans tend to say scone that rhymes with tone
A century-old poem captures the difference adorably:
I asked the maid in dulcet tone
To order me a buttered scone;
The silly girl has been and gone
And ordered me a buttered scone.
For us, (and for others) scones bring back fond childhood memories. Round tummies in busy aprons. A flurry of flour dusting freckled cheeks. Shiny twinkling eyes. Love in action. It’s never too late to make a beautiful memory with food.
COOKING TIPS
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The preparation time should be no more than 10 minutes
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Simply need to chop and mix everything, turn out onto flour surface and roll out and cut into scones
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Don’t over mix the dough. This is very important. The mixture should be sticky and not dry
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If you have the time and patience you can let it sit in a bowl for 30 min to rise, but it’s not essential
SERVING TIPS
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While they are baking whip cream, boil the kettle for a pot of tea, and put fresh strawberry jam out
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While the scones are steaming warm fresh from the oven quickly let them cool on baking racks – you can keep them warmer for longer by placing a tea towel over the top
We love the classic combination of homemade strawberry jam with clotted cream. We simply can’t get enough of this gorgeous flavour on Recipe to Taste. See our Burnt Basque Cheesecake.
Equipment
- 6cm scone cutter, dip in flour
Ingredients
- 3 cups SR Flour
- 300 mls Cream
- 1 Beaten egg
- 1/3 cup Sugar
Instructions
- Place flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl, add the cream and a beaten egg and mix with a knife.
- Add a few teaspoons of milk.
- Mixture should be sticky but stiff and come away from the bowl.
- Turn onto a floured bench and “knead” a few times (don’t over work the dough) flatten out the dough to 3cm thick.
- Bake in an oven at 180C for 12-14min.
Recipe creation & styling by Scarlett Forward, Post written by Carmen Forward,
Video & photo editing by Rachel Trevarton.
