Sweet Fruit Scones

Oh yes, my friends - it's International Scone Week again. Tandy from the blog Lavender & Lime took over the mantle from Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial some years ago.  Thank you Tandy for keeping this annual get-together alive and well.  

So somehow it's August again, and here we are - baking beautiful scones.  I've made three versions this time, so you'll see the two sweet ones here during Scone Week, and then I'll put up the secret, savoury version next month - hehehe ...

This recipe is from The Irish Countrywomen's Association Cookbook.  It has some great, old-fashioned dishes plus lots of new ones.  A cornucopia of tried and tested dishes in Irish family homes.

jam then cream, of course :=)

Makes around 10:

ingredients:

300g./10.5 oz plain flour

1 tsp bicarb-soda

1/4 tsp salt

65g./2.3 oz cold butter, cubed

zest of a small lemon - about 2 tsp  (optional)

55g./2 oz caster sugar

55g./2 oz sultanas, or dried fruit of your choice

25g./1 oz mixed dried citrus peel

1 egg, lightly beaten

135 mL/4.5 oz milk plus extra for glazing the tops

Method:

Turn on your oven to 180C/350F to heat up

Sift the flour, bi-carb and salt into a large mixing bowl

Now rub the cubed butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter (or a butter knife), till it looks like breadcrumbs

Put the lemon zest into a small bowl with the caster sugar, and rub in well with your fingers till you have a yellowy and fragrant mix

Now add the lemony sugar, sultanas and peel into the flour mix, and stir them in

Beat the egg with the milk, make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and mix most of the liquid into the flour.  Add all the milk if your dough is not moist enough to pat into a nice round

So give the dough a bit of a knead, and pat into a round, then place it on a lightly-floured surface and shape it up (no real need for kneading, I found, nor for a rolling pin!)

Pat out the dough into a 2cm/0.75 inch thick round, then grab your scone/biscuit cutter and cut out shapes - you will get 10 or 11 scones

Brush the tops with some milk (maybe 1-2 Tbs?), and bake on a lightly-floured baking tray for about 15-18 minutes, or till golden-brown

Serve warm with (berry) jam and cream

Will last for a couple of days in an airtight container

Notes:

I made a half quantity of this recipe, but you can double the ingredients for the full amount

You can also just cut out the scones with a knife for square shapes

The recipe says to heat up the baking tray (sans flour) before the scones go into the oven, but I found that the bottoms were overcooked!  (The flour would be cast over the tray just before baking the scones.) But try this if you think it will give you better bums :=)

You can use self-raising flour alone if you like; just leave out the bi-carb of course

ingredients gathered

rub the zest into the caster sugar

stir everything into the flour mixture

pat into a 2cm round on a lightly-floured surface

onto the tray for baking at 180C for about 15 mins.

golden and delicious

jam then cream :)

Joining in with Tandy from Lavender and Lime blog #ISW2024

c. Sherry M.