“Uncle John’s Scones”

For this post I decided to make Cheese Scones, a savoury bake which is a bit different from my usual sweet creations. This post was actually requested by my friend’s ‘Uncle John’ (hence the name), so here is my recipe for cheese scones! These scones have mustard and a mild chilli powder in them, giving them a subtle kick, a twist on your average cheese scone.

Ingredients for 6 Cheese Scones

225g self-raising flour

½ level teaspoon salt

½ level teaspoon mustard

¼ level teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 level teaspoon baking powder

25g butter

100-150g grated cheese (see recipe)

1 large egg

a little milk

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220〫and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

2.  Measure out the flour, salt, cayenne pepper and baking powder into a large bowl. Then add the mustard and butter and begin to rub it together with your hands until the mixture has the same consistency as breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in the grated cheese, I used 50g of mature Cheddar and 50g of Red Leicester. However, this can be changed depending on the strength of the cheese and how strong you want the scones to be.

3. Break a large egg into a measuring jug and then add the milk until you reach 150ml and mix together slightly. Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix into a soft dough, it does not matter if it feels slightly dry at this point.

4. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly into a disc about 2cm in height. Then using a 5cm fluted cutter and cut out 6 circles.

5. Brush them with a little milk and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese (optional).

6. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown and firm.

These scones are best eaten fresh out of the oven whilst they are still warm and spread with butter. Hope you enjoy baking these simple and tasty scones as much as I did!

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Strawberry Scones

This was a great fruity scone recipe that was full of flavour. These are a great treat for a late summer afternoon tea as they have a great summery and british feel! I enjoyed making these as I rarely bake scones and this recipe provided a chance to make some! Some of the freeze dried strawberries dried out a bit when I made the scones but I have adapted the recipe to stop that!

Ingredients for 6 Strawberry Scones

225g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

50g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

2 tbsp caster sugar

130ml strawberry yoghurt

1 egg, beaten

1x6g freeze dried strawberry pieces

Method

1. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, then add the salt and combine.

2. Then add the butter and using your fingertips to break and rub the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the sugar and stir through the mixture.

3. Then in a jug combine the yoghurt, freeze dried strawberries and 1/2 the beaten egg and lightly beat together with a fork.

4. The make a well in the middle of the flour and pour 3/4 of the yoghurt mixture into the well then using a butter/ palette knife to cut through the mixture combining it.

5. Repeat this until all of the yoghurt mixture is gone and the mixture comes together  to form a dough then use your hands to bring it into a ball.

6. Tip out the dough on a surface lightly dusted with flour then flatten it gently with the palms of your hands to create a rough circle shape about 3-4cm thick.

7. Cut the scones into 6 triangles and brush the tops with the rest of the beaten egg.

8. Put the scones on a tray and place in a preheated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

I served my scones with strawberry jam, clotted cream and sliced strawberries; I thought they were delicious and I hope you do too!

Chelsea Buns

Hello again! I thought I would post the brilliant chelsea bun recipe I came across! I loved baking them as it offered more of a challenge than the usual bake as the dough is similar to bread dough. I was a little disappointed with the look of the bake though, as the icing turned out quite messy in places but they tasted lovely! The fruit and cinnamon could be considered as quite christmassy but i think they are a great treat for all year round!

Ingredients for 9 large or 12 small chelsea buns

300ml full-fat or semi-skimmed milk

40g unsalted butter, softened

500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

10g fine salt

10g instant yeast

1 medium egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Warm the milk and butter in a saucepan until the butter melts and the mixture is lukewarm.
2. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Make a shallow well and add the milk mixture and the egg and stir together with your hands to make a rough dough, the dough should be quite sticky but you may need to add some extra flour.
3. Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and begin to knead for about 10 mins.
4. When the dough feel soft and smooth put it into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1-3 hours, until to dough has doubled in size.
5. Line a deep-sided baking tray with baking parchment.
6. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle about 5mm thick. Tack down one edge by pushing the side of the dough into the table, this allows you to create a tight swirl when you roll it up.

Ingredients for the filling

25g unsalted butter, melted

75g soft brown sugar

2tsp ground cinnamon

100g dried cranberries

100g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped

Method

1. Brush the surface all over with melted butter, then sprinkle over the brown sugar. Combine the dried fruit and cinnamon then spread it over the dough.
2. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder pressing the edge down to avoid it coming unraveled. Then cut the cylinder into 9  or 12 equal slices (depending on how many and how large you want them).
3. Place these cut side up in the baking tray leaving a little gap between each one. Then cover the dough with a tea towel and leave to rise for about 45 mins. Meanwhile heat your oven to 190°C.
4. Bake the buns for 20-25 mins when they have risen and are golden brown.

Ingredients for topping

60g apricot jam for glaze

100g icing sugar

Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

1 tsp water

Method

1. Warm the apricot jam with a splash of warm water, sieve to remove the lumps and create a smooth glaze then lightly brush over the hot buns. Then set the buns aside to cool on a wire rack.
2. When the buns are completely cool mix the remaining ingredients to create a lemon icing then trickle it across the top of the buns.

I find the buns were best eaten on the day as they go slightly dry when left. Make sure you keep them in an air tight container.