I bet you have all had a scone or two, but have you ever made them yourself? I've heard that baking scones and particular scones recipes are handed down for generations in families, like a traditional family recipe. I know I used to be very close to my grandmother and she taught me to make scones. There were many hours spent in the kitchen with her cooking up a storm, oh the good old days where have they gone? Then, when I was cheffing I made scones nearly every day, and was pretty good at it. Some people have tried and tried again and still can’t get it right. Don’t worry, these two recipes are hard to get wrong. Go on, make some for your grandmother and see if they pass the test.

Scones – historical backgroundThe word scone is thought to come from the Scottish name for the Stone of Destiny where Scottish Kings were once crowned. Other sources say it originated from the Dutch word Schoonbrot, and German word schönbrot which literally means beautiful bread. Back in the early 1500s the word scone was in print in a Scotttish paper, and apparently the Scots started the trend as a quick bread. Scones became popular in England in around the late 1700s and early 1800s due to Anna, the Duchess of Bedford. Anna ordered her servants to bring tea and sweet bread one day, and she loved what the servants made up, so she ordered them every day after that. Here is the bake at home variant. By the way, you can add some mashed pumpkin, cheese and chives, diced dates, sultanas, currants, chocolate chips, and the list goes on.

Preheat the oven to about 200 °C. In a bowl add the dry ingredients and mix around. Add the cream and milk and mix with a spatula until just combined. Add half of the additional flour to a clean bench, and the other half to a baking tray. Scrape the dough out from the bowl onto the bench. Knead the dough just for a couple of minutes. Depending on how sticky the dough turns out you may need to add a little more flour. Just sprinkle a small amount of flour over the dough, enough that you can work with the dough and it does not stick to your hands completely. Then roll out to about an inch thickness. Using a cutter, or small cup, cut the scones. Place the scones on the flour coated baking tray and bake for five minutes. Turn the temperature of the oven down to about 160 °C to 170 °C and cook for about 15 to 17 minutes until they are golden brown. Pull the scones out of the oven, let them cool then serve with jam and cream or butter. By the way, to know when the scones are ready, simply pick up two scones and bang the bases together and they should sound somewhat hollow.