Buttermilk scones for morning tea

I bought a litre of Karikaas buttermilk with the intention of making pancakes this weekend. It didn't happen but instead I made these buttermilk scones with a lovely, tender crumb. We ate them while still warm from the oven with softly whipped cream, lemon curd and the company of my Aunty and her husband.

This recipe makes 18-20 scones which was more than I needed so in hindsight I should have halved it. I'll give the full amount and leave it up to you. It's based on a recipe from one of my most used baking books - Mix & Bake by Belinda Jeffery - though my scones looked flat and biscuit-like and not at all like Belinda's well-risen beauties. Delicious if a little compact!

4 cups self-raising flour

160g cold butter, cubed

500mls buttermilk

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 tsp salt

Place the flour and butter in the food processor bowl and pulse to "rub" in the butter (do this by hand if you prefer). Tip into a large bowl and use a whisk to incorporate sugar and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add in buttermilk. Mix until the flour is well moistened then tip out onto a floured bench and knead lightly into a 4-5cm high mound. Use a scone cutter to cut into rounds and place close together on a heavy, baking-paper lined tray.

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, by which time they will be risen and golden. Remove from oven and wrap in your best, clean teatowel. Leave to sit for five minutes then serve.

blueberry and custard scones

Ever since seeing these berry and custard-filled scones on Lesley's blog eat, etc they have been on my hit-list.  We have had builders in completing some renovations, and this was one of the baked goods that was served up for their morning tea (don't you love an excuse to bake excessively...)  I changed the original recipe from dried cranberries to blueberries, as we didn't have any craisins, plus I just love the combination of blueberry and custard.  I used frozen berries that I heated with a squeeze of lemon juice and then thickened with a little custard powder so it wouldn't be too wet a filling.

These scones are beautiful.  A sweet take on my favourite potato scone recipe, where the scone dough is richer than normal and bordering on pastry, so they have a lovely flakily crisp crust. I was unsure if I needed to ice them but it really does make them - so I suggest you do.

Next time I will try Lesley's cranberry version - I also think they would be superb with custard's best friend rhubarb.

blueberry and custard scones - makes 12

 

1 c blueberries
squeeze lemon
1 tsp custard powder mixed to a slurry with a little water
3 cups standard flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 pinch salt
200g butter, diced or grated
milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups custard (make custard following packet directions)


Preheat oven to 220°C.

Place blueberries in a saucepan, if frozen cook til defrosted, add custard powder and cook til thick. Make custard following packet directions  and leave to cool.
Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough milk to form a soft, but not sticky, dough – use a palette knife to bring the mixture together. Roll dough into a large rectangle and cut in half. Brush both halves with the beaten egg.

Spread the custard over one half of the dough and dollop over the berry mix. Place the other half of the dough on top. Brush the top with beaten egg. Cut into 12 pieces, place on a lined baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes.

When cooled slightly but still warm, drizzle the scones with a thin icing -  I spiked mine with a squeeze of lemon.

                                         

thursday baking - ham and pesto pinwheel scones

Something savoury today...these pinwheel scones were made on NZ's Hottest Home Baker by Catherine last week. Even the snide Dean Brettschnieder (Global Baker!) seemed rather taken with them, which is no mean feat. At any rate, we all loved them. They were definitely best eaten within an hour or two of baking while the scone and cheese was deliciously crunchy. I used Barry's Bay smoked cheese, which explains the orange hue in the picture below... These pinwheels will definitely be added to my regularly-made savoury scone repertoire, along with the all-time favourites of potato scones and best ever cheese scones.

ham and pesto pinwheel scones

3c flour
4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
50g butter
1/2 c grated cheese
1 c milk
1/2 c chopped smoked chicken/ham/bacon etc
125g cream cheese
3 tbsp pesto
1 red pepper, diced
1/3 c pinenuts or cashew pieces, toasted
1/2-1c grated cheese
milk to glaze

Preheat oven to 220c. Combine flour, bp and salt. Rub in butter, then add the cheese. Make a well in middle and pour in the milk, mixing gently with a knife. Roll out into a large rectangle on a heavily floured bench. Spread with the cream cheese, then the pesto. Top with other filling ingredients. Roll up tightly, then cut into 2cm slices with a serrated knife. (I got 16 out of mine). Brush with milk and bake for 15-20 minutes.

thursday baking - blueberry and yoghurt scones

Morning tea today was one of these delicious scones, warm from the oven. The yoghurt in them makes them beautifully light, and the sugar on top forms a lovely crunchy crust. I stocked up on frozen blueberries yesterday, Countdown sell the -18 below brand of frozen blueberries which were on sale for just $7.99 for a kilo bag, a great price. Lois Daish has long been one of my favourite NZ food writers, her departure from NZ Listener being sadly lamented. The recipe makes 9 scones, just the right amount to eat while they are still fresh. I will definitely be making these scones again.

Blueberry and Yoghurt Scones - Lois Daish - Week 32

2 c flour
4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp castor sugar
80g butter
1/4 c natural yoghurt
3/4 c milk (may need a little more)
milk/sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 200c. Combine the flour, bp and sugar. Rub in butter with fingertips. Add combined yoghurt and milk, pouring into a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Mix lightly with a knife until just combined. Gently pat into a square 2-3 cm thick, and cut into 9 scones. Brush tops of scones with the milk and sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and crunchy on top and bottom.

thursday baking - date scones

I had a sudden urge to make date scones while home sick one day last week so used this scone recipe with the suggested addition of dates. They were so good I've made them again since. They keep really well in the freezer - perhaps the addition of an egg helps? - so I've been taking them to work one-at-a-time for morning tea.

I used a generous cup of dates because I love them and also added a sprinkle of demerara sugar on top before baking because it looks pretty and gives a lovely, sugary crunch.

As we bake our way through A Treasury of New Zealand Baking...

Scones - Lesley Christensen-Yule (week 29)

3 cups self-raising flour

1 tb icing sugar

1/4 tsp salt

50g cold butter, chopped

1 large egg, beaten

1 1/2 cup buttermilk or 1c yoghurt plus 1/2 c milk

3/4 cup dates

milk to brush

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius fanbake or 250 degrees Celsius regular bake.

Chop 3/4 cup of dates and soak in boiling water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Put sugar, flour and salt into processor, add butter and pulse until combined, tip into mixing bowl.

Drain dates and add to flour/butter mix.

Mix egg and buttermilk or yoghurt &milk, add to dry mix and mix to form a sticky dough.

Cut into 12-16 squares (depending on the size you're after) and place closely together on a baking tray.

Bake 10-20 mins, or until golden on the outside and cooked in the middle. My oven took nearly half an hour!

potato scones

I used to be a little skeptical about carb with carb combinations, but since discovering these potato scones (and potato pizza...and bread sauce and roast potatoes...) I am a convert. The scone recipe hails from Jafa cafe in Auckland, and was published in the Sunday Star Times a few years ago. The scone dough is more like a pastry really, with a higher ratio of fat to flour, and is rolled thinly to encase the cheesy filling that oozes out a little while they bake.

Use the filling recipe as a guide, these scones are a perfect vehicle for using up leftover bits and piece, I have even added leftover broccoli cheese to the potato filling with great success. The batch above Sarah made to have with soup for lunch, they are potato scones for purists, the filling just being potato, spring onion and cheese. They are happily frozen and I often used to take one to work for lunch - a sandwich press reheats them perfectly, crisping up the pastry again beautifully.

potato scones

dough

200g flour

75g butter

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

100ml milk

filling

300g potato, cooked, mashed and cooled (I often freeze leftover mash to use)

1 spring onion, finely chopped

1 c cheese, grated

extras as desired - chopped ham or cooked bacon, spinach, rocket, smoked salmon...

a little milk

a beaten egg to glaze, and seeds of choice

To make the filling just combine all ingredients, adding enough milk to bind the mix. I add enough to make it quite wet as I like the filling to ooze out.

To make the dough rub butter into flour until fine, add the remaining dry stuff, then enough milk to make a dough, and roll out thinly into a large rectangle (I roll it on the baking tray, and use plenty of flour). Spread the filling over half the dough. Cut dough down the middle and carefully pick up the uncovered bit of dough, and lay it over the filling. It doesn't matter if they look a bit straggly round the edges, this adds to their rustic charm!

Paint with the egg wash, sprinkle over seeds, and bake at 200c for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy warm from the oven!

scones with jam & cream

Lemonade scones must be one of the easiest baked goods to make; just 4 ingredients are required to produce these delicate light scones. I made these scones for Sunday morning tea which we enjoyed with jam & cream while sitting outside basking in the autumn sunshine. Well actually I enjoyed my scone with cream & jam, while everyone else had them with jam & cream, which sparked a bit of a debate, jam first or cream? My rationale (which I think came from mum) is that cream is like butter so should go on the bottom, Jane & Lewi think as jam is heavier it belongs on the bottom. Any thoughts?

sunday supper

Another guest appearance from Sarah...

Miriam was down in Christchurch for the weekend and after an afternoon trawling the shops we were all in need of some sustenance. I decided to make a pot of Mexican spiced tomato soup and a batch of cheese scones to go on the side. The soup is based on a Sophie Gray recipe from her book Enjoy, as are the scones. It is very simple and makes a tasty weekend meal. I used to make it frequently for my flat during the cold Dunedin winters. The meat eaters in the house added some fried Italian pork sausage to their bowl.

Last summer I worked in a café in Wellington. After receiving numerous requests from customers, I began making cheese scones. These proved hugely popular and in the end I was making dozens of batches a day. They are very easy and delicious warm from the oven with butter. This time I put some of Becs’ homemade tomato chili jam on top of the scones before baking, which was tasty.

Best-ever Cheese Scones

2 cups self raising flour, 2 cups grated cheese, plus extra for sprinkling (I used a mixture of Colby and Parmesan), pinch salt, 1¼ cups milk

Preheat oven to 200^oC

Mix together flour and cheese. Add milk and mix until just combined. Shape, place on a tray and sprinkle with extra cheese. (I sometimes put a dollop of chutney or pesto on top as well). Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until well risen and crusty.

Mexican spiced tomato soup

2 tbsp olive oil, 2 onions, finely chopped, 1 cup celery, finely chopped, 2 carrots, finely chopped, 3 gloves garlic, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp oregano, 2 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, 2 tins chopped tomatoes, 6 cups beef stock, 1/3 cup tomato paste, 1½ cups red lentils, 2 tbsp brown sugar

Optional - Italian pork sausages, 1 per person (Split the skins and squeeze out the meat. Crumble into small pieces and fry in a pan.)

Sauté onions, celery, carrots and garlic in oil until soft. Combine cumin, chili, oregano, sugar and salt and stir into pot. Add tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, lentils and brown sugar. Bring to the boil and stir, then reduce the temperature and simmer for 40 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.