Ginger Orange Scones

Make tea time a special occasion with Ginger Orange Scones 

served with a Cream Cheese Spread. 

The perfect sweet-savoury combination!

Ingredients:

For the Scones:

240g cake flour (500ml)
5ml baking powder
2.5ml salt

65g butter, cut into small pieces
75ml White Sugar
2.5ml grated orange rind
1 large egg
125ml milk
125ml drained, finely chopped Stem Ginger in Syrup

For the Cream Cheese Spread:

230g tub smooth cottage or cream cheese
30ml orange juice
15ml orange zest
3 pieces Stem Ginger in Syrup, finely chopped
10ml Golden Syrup

Method:

For the Scones:

Preheat oven to 200˚C. Grease and oven tray.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.

Rub in the butter until mixture resembles fresh breadcrumbs. Stir in White sugar and orange rind.

Mix egg and milk together, and pour onto dry mixture along with the Ginger in Syrup, cutting in with the back of a knife to soft dough.

Turn out dough onto floured worktop and pat out lightly to 2cm thickness. Cut into rounds and bake on prepared tray for 12 minutes.

Transfer onto cake cooling rack.

For the Cream Cheese Spread:

Combine all ingredients until creamy and light.

Store in the fridge until required for spreading on scones

Makes 8 medium size scones

Lemon Rosemary Scones

These Lemon Rosemary scones will have you looking for reasons to eat them.  They are light, fluffy and aromatic.  While they are baking, the intoxicating aroma of lemon and rosemary waft through the air.  It draws you to the oven where you watch them puff up and get a little crispy on the outside.  When they come out of the oven, it is difficult to resist them, but why wait? Eat them warm with melting butter.

Ingredients:

300 grams all-purpose flour
120 grams whole wheat pastry flour
5ml sea salt
10ml bicarbonate of soda
20ml cream of tartar
60g grated butter, frozen for 1 hour
30g light cream cheese, diced then frozen for 1 hour
Zest of 2 lemons
15ml fresh rosemary, minced
250ml cold 2% fat milk
80ml cold soda water
1 egg white, lightly beaten
15ml light brown sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 220˚C.

In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar.

Add frozen butter and cream cheese.  Using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut in butter and cream cheese until they are little pebble sized.

Stir in lemon zest and rosemary.

Add milk and soda and stir until just combined.

Flour a work surface and knead dough 10 times.

Using well-floured rolling pin roll the dough out to 1 inch thickness.

Dip a round 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter into flour.  Cut out scones.  Lightly knead the dough back together and cut out more. 

Place scones onto a baking sheet and brush with egg white.  Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack or eat while warm with melting butter!

Makes 12-14 scones.

Sour Cream Scones

Scones for breakfast, or afternoon tea,

are a classic celebration of British cooking.

The source of the scone is lost in the mists of time,

but was believed to be of Scots, or Celtic origin.

The Scots baked a quick bread of unleavened oats on a griddle,

probably about the size of a medium sized plate.

The circular loaf was cut into triangular quadrants for serving.

This bread may also be called a bannock, and the quadrants, scones.

Today this delicacy is usually made from wheat flour.

Individual scones are cut from the dough to make small cakes,

which are oven baked.

.

Ingredients:
500ml flour

20ml baking powder
2ml salt
300ml sour cream
60ml full cream milk
extra flour for dusting
extra milk for brushing

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Place flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Stir in sour cream and milk to form a soft dough.

Knead lightly on a floured surface until just smooth. Pat out to 2cm thickness on a floured surface and cut into rounds with a floured 4-5cm scone cutter, taking care not to twist as you cut.

Place on an oven tray and brush only the tops with milk. Bake in the upper half of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

Serve with strawberry jam and sour or clotted cream.

Cheese and Onion Scones with Bacon Topping

Sunday morning breakfast is always a little laid back,

but different from the rest of the week.

We try to have something a bit more imaginative

than the run of the mill rushed breakfast of the rest of the week.

Today we had scones,

but scones with a difference:

- Breakfast -

All in one bite.

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Ingredients:
2 small shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
10ml olive oil
10ml butter
15ml chopped fresh parsley
500ml flour
20ml baking powder
2ml salt
50g grated cheddar cheese
250ml milk
8 strips streaky bacon

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Method:
Preheat the oven to 220C.
In a frying pan, add the olive oil and melt the butter. Sweat the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, but not coloured. With a slotted spoon, remove the onion and garlic to a mini blender and whizz to a paste.
In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and grated cheese. Add the onion and garlic paste and fold through the flour.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the milk. Blend to a dough with your fingers, mixing in the flour a little at a time. Pat the dough into a flat circle and turn out onto a floured board. With a rolling pin, roll out to about 3/4 inch thick and cut into circles with a floured, fluted scone cutter, or cut into squares with a floured knife.
Place on a baking tray about 1 inch apart and bake for about 10 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a metal skewer. Set aside on a wire wrack to cool slightly.
While the scones are cooking, fry the bacon in a skillet until cooked through, but not quite crispy. Cut the bacon rashers with a scissors into little strips, about 1/4 inch wide.
Cut each scone in half and butter each open side. Top with the bacon strips and serve.

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Cranberry Orange Scones

This makes quite a large batch of scones.

Once the dough is made, it can be frozen for later use.

.

Ingredients:
For the Scones:
1L flour
60ml sugar
30ml baking powder
10ml salt
zest of 2 oranges
185g butter
4 eggs, at room temperature
250ml double cream
60ml dried cranberries
60ml flour to coat the berries before adding to the dough
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Caster sugar to sprinkle on scones before baking

For the Orange Glaze:
60ml icing sugar
Juice of 1 orange

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, zest and butter in a bowl by hand, rubbing the butter into the other ingredients to give a crumbly mixtre with the crumbs being about the size of a lentil or baby pea.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, adding the double cream.
Add the egg mixture to the crumb mix to form a wet dough.
Dredge the cranberries in 60ml flour before adding them to the dough.
If so desired, the dough can be frozen at this point for later use.

Roll the dough out to about 3/4 inch thickness. Cut out with a circular scone cutter. Put the rounds on a baking tray prepared with baking paper. Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash and sprinkle with caster sugar.
Bake in a moderate to hot oven, 200C, for 20-25 minutes

Remove from the oven and transfer the scones to a cooling wrack.
To make the glaze, mix the icing sugar and orange juice in a small bowl. Drizzle this over the scones while they are still warm.

Double Gloucester Cheese Topped Scones

These are a great brunch treat.

Ingredients:
250g self raising flour
5ml dry mustard powder
2ml cayenne pepper
pinch salt
50g butter
100g extra mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 egg, beaten
50-60ml milk
milk to glaze
Double Gloucester cheese, small amount grated to sprinkle on top of each scone.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Sift flour, mustard, cayenne and salt into a bowl.
Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the Cheddar cheese and egg, then enough milk to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface, pat into a round and roll gently to 3.5cm thickness.
Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter.
Place on a greased and floured baking sheet.
Brush with milk and sprinkle with Double Gloucester cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
Put on a wire rack to cool.

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