Earl grey and lemon scones

Picture the scene, perfectly brewed earl grey, a slice of lemon and a freshly baked scone. Hmmmm, a perfect match. So perfect in fact, how about if we merged them? This idea came about as 1) I wanted fresh scones for breakfast and 2) the letter for this months alpha bake is 'E'.

I decided to soak raisins overnight in earl grey tea, before incorporating them into my scone along with plenty of lemon zest.

Earl grey and lemon scones

Earl grey tea bag

60g raisins

120ml almond or soya milk

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

185g plain flour

120g oats

50g golden caster sugar

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt

110g dairy free spread (I use pure)

Zest of a lemon

1/2 tsp vanilla paste/ extract

The night before you make the scones, make a strongish small cup of earl grey tea, and soak the raisins in it overnight. Come morning they will be plump and infused with earl grey.

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C FAN and dust a baking sheet with flour. Mix the milk and vinegar together and set aside to curdle.

Mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Rub the dairy free spread in with your fingertips until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Stir through the zest of a lemon. 

Add the vanilla to the milk and stir the milk mix into the dry ingredients until just combined, do not overmix. Dollop 8 equal blobs onto the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden. 

Transfer to a wire rack to cool a little before enjoying warm with butter, lemon curd, marmalade or jam.

Enjoy any leftovers the next day refreshed in a warm oven for five minutes.

The lemon and earl grey complement each other beautifully, the earl grey adds a fragrance and takes away a little of the sweetness of the raisins. For an experiment I was very pleased and would definitely make them again.

Savoury bacon scones

I should really call these leftover scones as I am going away for a week and a)wanted to clear the fridge and b) did not really want to buy much.

I made these scones as an accompaniment to go with soup and although they were just made with bits and bobs they were so delicious I will be making them again out of want, not necessity.

I did not want to be misleading and call them cheesy bacon scones even though they do have cheese in them. They contain a little grated parmesan which adds a fantastic depth of flavour and savoury edge. T hough I would not call them cheesy, it is definitely essential for the flavour.

Another added bonus of these is that they can be made and ready to devour in half an hour, perfect!

Savoury bacon scones

80-100g bacon
200g self raising flour
50g butter
25g oats
30-40g finely grated parmesan
150ml milk (I used skimmed)

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C FAN. Cook the bacon (grill, fry whatever your preference) and set aside to cool.

Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats and cheese, chop up the cooled bacon and add this too. 

Add the milk gradually, mixing until a dough is formed, you may not need all the milk or may need a splash extra.

On a floured surface pat out the dough to a thickness of 2-3cm. Stamp out the scones with a cutter, trying not to twist. The trimmings can be re-patted into shape and more scones stamped out. 

Place the scones on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until risen and golden.

These were delicious warm from the oven. Mark had the leftovers for lunch the next day and they were still deemed a success.

Buttermilk Scones

The reasons I made these scones is two fold. First of all I needed a way in which to sample the rhubarb and ginger jam I had made (recipe coming soon), and secondly I realised that scones begin with 'S' which is the letter for this months alpha bakes.

These scones are very quick and easy to whip up and the result is a very light delicious scone. I will definitely be making them again.

Buttermilk scones

makes 7 small scones, maybe 4 bigger ones, easily doubled

110g self raising flour
25g cold butter, cubed
20g caster sugar
80ml buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla (extract or paste)


Preheat the oven to 220C/200C FAN. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs and then stir in the sugar. Mix the buttermilk and vanilla together and add to the bowl. Bring the dough together, starting with a fork and moving onto your hands.

Lightly flour a work surface and pat the dough out to ~3cm thick. Stamp out rounds. Re pat the dough trimmings and stamp out the rest. 

Place the scones on a baking sheet and if you wish glaze with buttermilk, or an egg-wash  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes util golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy smothered with jam and cream! 

Cheesy buttermilk scones

I lamented about the weather in my last post, I am STILL lamenting. I am not necessarily asking for a heatwave, just dry would be a start. Anyway enough complaining, all you really need to know is that the weather prompted a craving for comforting warm food, soup and cheese scones fitted the bill perfectly.

I had buttermilk to use up from a beyond disastrous attempt at red velvet cupcakes. And I mean disastrous, I do not mean they were not red enough, I do not mean they were not moist enough, and I do not mean that the frosting was runny, these are what other people on the internet mean when they say they turned out disastrous. Mine did not cook, at all. The top formed a vague thin crust but underneath it just kept bubbling and bubbling but never baking, it 'boiled' (for want of a better word) so much that the mix escaped the liners and covered my cupcake tin. It looked like a scene from Alien. More on the disaster in another post, as yes they will make an appearance on here, but, hopefully, only once I know what went wrong. A before and after post, if you will.

Anyway I have digressed, weather horrible, buttermilk to use up, cheese scones the answer.

Cheesy buttermilk scones


makes between 6-12 depending on cutter size


150g self raising flour
1 1/2/ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt,
pinch of cayenne
75g of cheese
1/2 beaten egg
65ml buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp oil


Preheat the oven to 180C/160C FAN. 


Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the egg buttermilk and oil together and add to the bowl of dry ingredients.


Bring the mix together into a dough, adding a splash more milk if it is too dry. 


On a floured surface pat the dough to ~1/2cm thick. Fold in half and pat lightly. Cut out as many scones as possible. re-pat out the trimmings to use all the dough up. 

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 


Best enjoyed warm with butter, or as an accompaniment to soup.

They are fine warmed through the next day. When I make them again I think I will add 1 tbsp of parmesan in with the dry ingredients to really ramp up the cheese favour.

   

Bacon Scones

Lets get one thing straight. These are not your normal, knock up in 10 minutes and enjoy warm from the oven scones. They take time. There is rising and kneading and more rising. They contain things a scone does not normally contain such as yeast and sour cream. If you persevere however you will be rewarded with very flavoursome, light scones with a super crust.

These scones are from the Hairy Bikers big book of baking. It is important to not miss out the caraway seeds as they are what give this scone is absolutely fantastic flavour.

Bacon Scones


makes 12


60ml milk (I used semi skimmed)
1 sachet instant dried yeast (I only had back bacon, it worked fine)
250g streaky bacon chopped 
500g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp caraway seeds
120g unsalted butter
2 large eggs beaten
120ml soured cream
beaten egg and drop to water to glaze


Fry the bacon bits until crisp and set aside to cool.


Sift the flour into a bowl and mix in the yeast, baking powder, salt and caraway seeds. 


Put the butter into a pan over a gentle heat and melt until it is just liquid. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the soured cream and the eggs, make sure the butter is not too hot or the eggs will scramble. Add the cooled crispy bacon and the milk.

Don't panic, it does not look pretty, it will all be fine!

Pour the buttery mix into the flour a little at a time, constantly mixing to bring the dough together. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until elastic. 


Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film, and leave in a draught free place for about an hour and a half until it has double in size.


Turn the dough out and knock it back with your knuckles. Dust the dough with flour and roll out to ~4cm thick. Cut out rounds and place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.

 Use a sharp knife to cut a criss cross pattern on the top and then leave to rest for a further 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200/fan 180.

Brush the scones with the beaten egg and water to glaze and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.  

These scones are fabulous warm from the oven and served with soup. Alternatively you could serve them warm and slathered in butter. If you don't eat them all at once they are perfectly good reheated in the oven for ~ 10 minutes the next day.