The scones, originating in the Anglo-Saxon world, are excellent for accompanying tea. They can be sweet or savory. Here is the classic Scottish recipe and some variations
The five o'clock tea has another flavor if there are at the table scones!
What are scones?
They look like small brioche rolls, but in reality the dough and texture are very different. They are sweets of Scottish origin and in the Anglo-Saxon tradition they are served with five o'clock tea. They are generally sweet, but not too sweet, and are stuffed with clotted cream and fragile jam, but there are many variations, even salty. Originally the word scones he was referring to a round, flat and unleavened focaccia made from oatmeal which was cooked on a plate and served cut into triangular wedges, the bannock. In Scotland the words scones and bannock are often interchangeable. Today scones are no longer prepared only with oatmeal.
Scones, shortcakes and cobblers
They are the same thing? Judging from the appearance it would seem so, but in reality the three doughs have different ingredients and origins. The scones are Scottish sweets, although many consider them English, while cobbler is shortcake they are Americans. Cobblers are crumble-like fruit desserts with a crunchy and crumbly surface, while shortcakes are really very similar to scones in appearance, but they have eggs among the ingredients. There is often confusion between shortcake and scones, but we want to give you the classic recipe for Scottish scones.
How are scones prepared?
This is the classic recipe, slightly sweet. The dough is really very simple to prepare and does not require rising times because instant yeast is used. First, work with your hands 60 g of cold butter with 250 g of 00 flour, a spoonful of instant yeast (not beer), a spoonful of sugar and a pinch of salt and form small crumbs. Then add the milk and create the dough which must be soft enough. If necessary, add a little flour to work it better. Spread it on a floured surface using a rolling pin. The thickness of the dough must be 4 cm. Cut it out with a cup-pasta or with a glass and bake the scones inside a baking tray lined with parchment paper after brushing them with a beaten egg. They cook at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Scones are usually stuffed with strawberry jam and clotted cream.
What is clotted cream?
It is not just whipped cream or spreadable cheese, but it is a delicious and very soft cream that requires long cooking times in the oven. It is also called clotted cream. To prepare it you have to use a little pasteurized and very fat cream. The cream should be poured into a baking dish with a lid and left for 8 hours at 80 °. When a sort of yellow film has formed on the surface, remove it and let the clotted cream cool in the refrigerator. If you do not have time to prepare the clotted cream, you can replace it with fresh semi-whipped cream or with sour cream.
Sweet variants
Scones can be enriched in many ways. First of all you can indulge in the fillings using creams and jams to taste, but you can also add spices or dried fruit in the basic dough. A classic is the raisin scones flavored with cinnamon. Also excellent are those with fresh fruit, generally blueberries or strawberries.
Savory variations
You can also use the basic recipe for salted scones because it is not very sweet. If you prefer, however, eliminate the sugar completely and add a pinch of salt. You can enrich the dough with spices such as curry, paprika, turmeric or with aromatic herbs. If you want to make them tastier and tastier, add diced bacon or sautéed peas. As stuffed instead you can opt for spreadable cheese and salmon or cold cuts of all kinds or even grilled vegetables. In short, unleash your imagination!
Round or wedged?
You can decide which shape to give to your scones. In Scotland there are two variants, the round and the triangular ones, but they are made with the same recipe and only the shape changes.
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