There can't be many things in life that are better than a good afternoon tea. Give me a plate of tiny sandwiches and a selection of freshly baked pastries and I'm yours. Rooted in Victorian England, afternoon tea filled the gap between an early lunch and a late dinner for both the upper and working classes. Now it seems decadent to take an hour or two out of the middle of the afternoon purely for the purpose of refreshment.
Scones are, to my mind, an essential component of afternoon tea. Not too sweet, they bridge the gap between the savoury sandwiches and the slice cake without which no afternoon tea is complete. Most scone recipes only contain a small amount of sugar preferring to take their sweetness from the jam and cream which are daintily spread on top. It is hard, I should note, not to eat afternoon tea in a dainty way. The meal just demands it.
In that spirit, my scones are much smaller than tradition dictates. When you cut them in half and top them in the Cornish manner (jam before cream* rather than the Devonshire way of cream before jam), they form a tidy little bite.
*When I say cream, it should, of course, be clotted cream or, at a pinch, a whipped heavy cream. I actually used creme fraiche though partly through necessity as it was all that I had in my fridge but also because I rather like the combination of the sourness of the cream with the sweetness of the jam. Boyfriend offered no complaints so I have to assume that I am not the only one who feels that way.
Eating them put me in mind of this post about creating the perfect bite from Angharad who blogs at Eating For England (if, incidentally, you haven't visited Angharad's blog, please do - it is utterly charming). Sometimes I watch my mother creating the perfect bite and setting it to one side of her plate - a little bit of this, a touch of that. This is always to be the last bite. I do the same. I will de-construct a cupcake to ensure that my lingering memory of the experience has just the right balance of frosting and cake.
The art of making tiny food (and I can't believe I actually just wrote that) is all about creating the perfect bite really, that one mouthful that delights the senses and dances across the palate and yet, in itself, is complete. It may leave you wanting another bite but it shouldn't leave you wanting more. And that is, I think, the beauty of a scone with jam and cream.
There are as many ways to make scones as you can think of - Felicity Cloake has written an extremely good article about the different techniques and various flours and raising agents which can be used. The secret of a good scone is to handle the dough as little as possible from mixing to cutting out your scones. You need to be in and out as quickly as possible. This gives you the best possible chance of having scones that rise evenly. The beauty of scones is in their freshness and they are best eaten on the day they are made although they do freeze well and can be revived with a few minutes in a warm oven.
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Scones Yield: 16 small scones Adapted from Mary Berry's Baking Bible
Ingredients
- 225g all purpose/plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
- Generous pinch of sea salt
- 40g butter at room temperature
- 25g granulated/caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 125ml milk
Cooking Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking tray with non-stick paper or a silicon mat.
- Put the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and give it a quick stir.
- Beat the egg and add enough milk to make 150ml. Reserve a tablespoon of the liquid for glazing the scones but gradually add the rest of it to the flour mix and stir until you have a soft and sticky dough. Try to handle the dough as little as possible. If necessary, add a little extra milk until the dough sticks to your fingers.
- Flour your hands and a flat surface and turn the dough out. Press it down to a thickness of about 2cm and cut out your scones using a fluted cutter. Gather up the scraps and roll out again until you have used up all the dough.
- Place the scones on the baking tray and brush with the egg/milk glaze. Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- To serve, cut in half and spread with jam and clotted or whipped double cream.