Best British Currant Scones
From the blogger: "These light and fluffy scones are so easy to make – with or without currants! They’re the perfect vehicle for clotted cream, lemon curd, jam or even German plum butter. I’ve made these scones loads of time and have even taught others to make them in virtual baking classes. They’re are always a hit! They’re perfect for all kinds of occasions, such as: tea parties, office parties, holidays, neighborhood potlucks, showers, birthdays, simple afternoon tea with a friend (scones + tea), brunch, dessert, and pretty much anytime you’re craving scones These scones are light, fluffy, and tender. If you’ve got 30 minutes, you have enough time to bake a batch of fresh hot scones – with or without currents. If you don’t want to use currants, you can add it any mix-in you’d like…raisins, nuts, cheese, cranberries, etc. It may not be traditional but it will be delicious, so I say go for it and experiment!
Scones are best eaten the day they're made but I've found they're ok the next day, too."
Yields12 scones
Preparation Time10 min
Cooking Time12 min
Cooking MethodOven
Ingredients
- 3 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoon butter (unsalted, cold)
- 3 cup dried currants
- 1 cup whole milk or cream
- 2 eggs
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Pre-heat oven to 500F/260C.
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Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix everything together.
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Cut cold butter in several pieces and add to the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like small crumbs.
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Add currants (or whatever you want to mix in) and mix with a spoon or spatula until well combined.
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In a small mixing bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Add to flour a little at a time. Careful! You might not need the entire amount so don't dump it all in at once. Stir with a spoon or spatula until dough forms a ball.
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Knead dough several times on well-floured surface with well-floured hands until the surface of the dough is smooth and doesn't have any cracks.
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Press dough to 1 inch [25mm] thickness. Cut out scones using a round biscuit or scone cutter or a small jam jar or glass. You should get anywhere from 7 to 12 scones, depending on the size of your cutter.
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Transfer scones to a lined baking pan. Gather remaining dough into a ball, knead it together once or twice smooth, and again roll it out to 1 inch [25mm] thickness. Cut out the rest of your scones and transfer them to your baking sheet.
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Brush the top of the scones using what's left of the milk and egg mixture or whisk one additional egg with 1 tsp milk, cream or water in a small bowl. Brush on the tops of the scones.
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Turn oven down to 425 F/215C. Bake smaller scones for 10-12 minutes and large scones for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
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Cool on a wire rack.
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Serve warm or at room temperature with butter, clotted cream, whipped cream, lemon curd or jam. Enjoy!