Wimbledon starts on Monday. Last year they served up 150,000 bath buns, scones, pasties and doughnuts, 7,000 litres of dairy cream and 28,000 kg (112,000 punnets) of English strawberries!!!! So, we wondered whether you would like to make your own scones this weekend ready to devour whilst watching Andy Murray defend his title. And the best bit about it is you can freeze them (and cook them from frozen), so you can make enough to last you for the whole tournament in one go. Dont forget to get the strawberries and cream, but heres how we make our scones: CLASSIC SCONES Makes 12 Ingredients - 450g (1 lb) self-raising flour - Pinch of salt - 100g (4oz) chilled butter, cut into pieces - 75g (3oz) caster sugar - 1 large egg - 200ml (7 fl oz) milk Method Preheat the oven to 200°c fan oven, 180°c, Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Beat together the egg and milk, then gradually add just enough to the rubbed-in mixture to make a soft (but not sticky) dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, flour your hands a little, then knead the dough lightly for a few moments. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 10-15 minutes. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 2.5cm (1 inch) thick, then stamp out rounds with a 5cm (2 inch) plain or fluted cutter. Gather any trimmings together, re-roll and cut out more scones. *Now this is the part where you can freeze them, see below. Arrange them on the baking sheet. Brush the scones with any remaining egg and milk mixture or a little milk. Transfer to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. FRUIT SCONES Add 50g (2 oz) of sultana, raisins or dried cherries, stirring them in before adding the milk. CHEF’S TIP: To help your scones rise evenly, avoid twisting the cutter when stamping out rounds – just press it straight through the dough. *FREEZING YOUR SCONES Place the scones, before baking, on to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Freeze the scones on the sheet until they are solid, then transfer them to resealable bags or airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake the scones direct from frozen, brush the tops with milk and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes). And dont forget to send us your pictures!
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 17:00:01 +0000