Traditional English Tea Time Scones With Jam and Cream

French Tart's Note:

Eat these hot, split & spread with fresh churned butter, fresh cream and homemade jam, preferably strawberry........not forgetting to lick your fingers afterwards - discreetly! These always made an appearance on my Mum and Grandmother's Afternoon Tea Table....it's simply expected my dear! You can also add dried fruit to these to make traditional fruit scones, such as sultanas, currants and raisins; I have added that option in the recipe. The traditional English Cream Tea is very popular in the South West of England, especially in Devon and Cornwall - there you will be offered a pot of tea with fluffy warm scones, butter, cream and strawberry jam. In Devon, you will be served double Devon cream and in Cornwall, you will be offered clotted cream – that’s the main difference.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 3-4

Yield: 6.0 Scones

Plain Scones

• 8 ounces self-raising flour
• salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar (superfine granulated)
• 2 ounces butter
• 1 egg, beaten and mixed with
• 1/4 pint milk
• fresh double cream, to serve (heavy cream)
• jam, of your choice
• butter, to spread

Fruit Scones

• 2 ounces sultanas, raisins (optional) or 2 ounces currants (optional)

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and add the sugar and butter.
2. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Gradually mix in the egg and milk mixture to make a dough, saving any excess to glaze the tops of the scones. Add your fruit at this stage if using.
4. Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth.
5. Roll out the dough to about 1/2" thick, then cut out 2" rounds with a plain or fluted cutter, kneading and re-rolling the dough until it is all used up.
6. Arrange scones on baking sheets then brush tops with the milk and egg mixture.
7. Bake in the oven at 230°C (450°F) mark 8 for 10 to 15 minutes, until well risen and lightly golden. Cool on a wire rack.
8. Whip the fresh cream until stiff. Split the scones and fill with butter, jam and fresh cream.

Reviews

[MarraMamba]

oh these are so good. Im not a baker, (i had to go and rescue my baking sheet from the deck where i put raccoon food on it) but so easy and tasted delicious. I made them with the cream and raspberries. Waistline is expanding! For thenon bakers like me, dont get scared if your dough isnt smooth or the scones are different heights. They still work!!

[Cajun Kitchen]

I finally made this recipe, and I'm so glad I did! Most scone recipes I've had make very dense, crumbly scones but not this one! This is a 5-star recipe because it's very easy to make and the scone is light and fluffy. Thank you for my new go-to scone recipe!

[Lalaloula]

Oh yum! These scones taste heavenly! I made them for breakfast and was simply delighted by how easy they were to put together and how nice they turned out- so fluffy and soft. I didn't need all the milk for my dough and used the rest to glaze the scones with. So they got a nice brown top. I had to bake them slightly longer than stated (12 minutes) but perhaps that was because mine were quite big (I got 6 ones out of the recipe). Thank you so much for sharing these, FT!