In my accent scone rhymes with long. Just so’s you know. This blogging is such a silent affair. Because we are not making a scone that rhymes with bone today we are going to make light fluffy scones for which we long! Am I getting weird?
When I was growing up in the big house on the beach, overlooking Hawke Bay in New Zealand, I was the Martha of the household. I was the little cook. So when someone popped in for a cup of tea and a yarn, the catch cry was “Celi, can you whip us up a batch of scones?” So I would take my writing or the book I was reading into the kitchen and whip them up a batch of scones. Then eat mine hot in the kitchen with my books. My sisters were the Mary’s you see, even my mother was a Mary (her name was even Mary) and I was the Martha. I did not mind. I mean I really did not mind. Small talk is not my forte. Never has been and still is not. I am the one who says something completely out of context just as there is a chatter-pause. And you get that freeze of politely raised eyebrows- did she speak? Oh, I’m sorry, what was that dear? No. I was happier making scones and ferrying cups of tea in and out, while everyone else chatted, sitting on the couches in front of the big windows that overlooked the bright sea. In fact this second story room had a wall of windows and doors overlooking the bay so all the couches faced the sea – you could not turn your back on that view. 
So when you hear the cry “Whip us up a batch of scones” from the Mary’s in your house – turn the oven on. Because you need a very hot oven. And it takes longer for an oven to heat up than it does to prepare your scones.
- 2 cups flour and 2 tsp baking powder and 2 heaped tablespoons of cornflour/cornstarch.
- a pinch of salt. (and pepper or tsp sugar depending on your other ingredients which you will add now)
- 3oz cold butter grated into the flour.
Quickly mix with your fingertips
- Make a well in your flour and add 1/3 cup milk and 1/3 cup cold water mixed together.
Mix with spoon until you have a nice doughy ball.
Pat and shape gently. Set on buttered and floured cookie sheet and into your hot hot oven. Great Auntie Mid always said to cook scones for 5 minutes at 500. Which was fine on a big old coal range. In my gas oven I cooked this mornings scones for 10 minutes at 450.
The best bit is the variations. You can put almost anything you like in a scone. Or have them plain with a little sugar in the mix. This mornings were bacon and onion (add these at the flour stage) with cheese on top. My favourite are date scones with a sprinkle of sugar on top. Sultana scones were standard at the house on the beach. Another one I love is cheese and fresh parsley. If you add cheese you can decrease the butter a little.
See? I told you they would not take long. Now I am going to eat mine with a cup of tea, while I do tomorrows planning. 
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
76 responses to “Longing for scones”
Hi Cecilia. I have never had much luck baking scones but I am sitting here now on a hot and stormy afternoon having just baked the best batch of scones EVER in my life. I followed your recipe exactly and they are amazing. Have taken some snaps so will post them soon. You are my scone heroine – thank you!
Oh Miss Tanya Chica.. I love that you did that.. Oh you whipped up a batch of scones!! I am chuffed. Am looking forward to your pics! c
Yummy 🙂
Yummy indeed Mr Roberto .. thank you for dropping in. c
[…] my scone woes are over thank to Cecilia at thekitchensgarden and this is the recipe that changed my scone baking forever. God I love that woman and her family […]
Mmmmmmmm scones!!! I shall try this one myself, bad for my diet but heyho
i always say that nothing home made can be bad for my diet.. well it works for me!! I never eat processed food you see. So i can only blame myself!
How ever you say it (and whatever you call ’em) I’m going to try your recipe as soon as it gets cool enough to turn on my oven (November perhaps…sigh…). Thanks to Tanya for mentioning you to me (well, us…)! Mmmm…
Oh lovely to see you Rachel. Have fun with those scones.. c
I love your recipes. I don’t have to worry about needing to find a substitution for an unnatural ingredient.
This has been my first yr of really getting into cooking. I couldn’t afford to get the little extras a good cook normally has always in the kitchen. So this Summer, when I finally was able to get almost all the usuals (my last shopping trip for the extras to have around will be this morning) I was finally able to make my first scones! I made cheese ones, and the first batch put far too much pepper I couldn’t finish my second one. The second batch was good enough to share though, and have for breakfast!
What a treat: my favorite of all times: scones. There used too be a shop in Greenwich Village called Balducci’s, which made wonderful, crumbly scones. Most of the others I taste now that the original Balducci’s is out of business have a different texture: more doughy than crumbly. From what I’ve read the secret is to make them with cream rather than milk so they won’t get too dry. But using cream is an insult to my sense of healthy eating. Too much cholesterol and too many calories.
How would you describe the texture of your scones?
Light and fluffy. You are in for a treat, make them fast like pastry and cook them fast on high. American scones are not actually scones. In fact I am not sure what they are! Not cream and my mother often made them with half milk and half water. Half cornflour (cornstarch) and half flour. But the secret is make them fast and cook them high.. good luck let me know how you do!! c
[…] exchanging messages about cooking with lard and pimentón, I give you my savoury scones, based on Celia of TKG recipe. They are actually made with goose fat as this is what I had in the fridge, and not lard, but […]
TKG, very cool!.. c
[…] in other news…I made H homemade scones last night, so if he fusses about the ducks…after all we may be […]