Scones, Simply Whey Too Easy

My Mother-in-law was the Julia Child of Karoo Kwezeen (Cuisine).  We were an excellent combination on the food front: she cooked it, and I ate it, until I became quite poorly from overindulgence. Although very kind and patient, I doubt she thought I had any mentionable talents, and not in the kitchen.  On Sundays, she baked Scones.  Beautiful, light, fluffy, perfect little morsels; sometimes she’d add a cup of Cheddar cheese or biltong to the dough; when they were served with tea, they were plain.

As a young bride, I was eager to follow family traditions and, with enthusiasm, set to bake a batch of scones one Sunday afternoon.  My hand was too heavy and too hot.  I overworked the dough, the butter softened, and the flour heated up.  I couldn’t even sell them as Rock Buns.  My husband, with his Mel Gibson eyes, took one look at them, sniffed, did me the honour of nibbling on one crusty flake and declared, “These don’t taste at all like my Mom’s scones”.  He pushed his plate aside and had a slice of Sasco bread.  I was hurt and discouraged. Only years later did I try my hand at baking scones again.  By then, I had learnt the rules.  Technique. Baking is a science; although easy, it takes practice and a willingness to learn and master the finer details.

Last night I used the buttermilk harvested from my butter making to bake my perfect scones.  Ironically, I still use my Mother-in-law’s cookie cutter for the job. Today it’s all buckled and bent, but it's a gentle reminder of my youth, my enthusiasm to learn, and my drive to serve the best food I could.

She would be proud of the scones I served last night; they were feather-light and golden. She would not have been as long-suffering about my store-bought strawberry jam, though.

As customary, Butch finally chopped and shredded his delicious biltong. I served the savoury scones with Cream Cheese; he had his with Bovril, I think, but then again, he’s a man who’d have Marmite and Banana on a roll. That’s my last word on that.  We both had delicious mouthfuls with thick cream and Strawberry Jam.  Yes, we put on the cream first and topped it all off with a generous spoon of jam.

I made my scones using ½ cake flour and ½ gluten-free flour.  I know gluten-free baking can be tricky, so I encourage you to experiment with different flours to find what works best for you.  Maybe next time, I'll try 100% gluten-free, but for now, this mix helps me enjoy baking without feeling overwhelmed.

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Here is my recipe:

MARICHA’S PERFECT SCONES

Pre-heat oven to 200֠f

METHOD:

1. Sieve the dry ingredients 3 times
2. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. In a bowl, mix the wet ingredients, then add them to the flour.  Mix with a fork until all the liquid is incorporated.  The mixture might be quite wet; that’s fine.
4. Sprinkle flour all over a wooden board
5. Drop the mixture onto the board and LIGHTLY KNEAD until it forms a soft ball.  Work quickly.
6. Pat the dough down to about 1½ inches (2,5cm)
7. Using a cookie cutter, make your shapes.  Reshape the leftover dough and make more scones.
8. Place carefully on a baking tray that has a sprinkling of flour
9. Using the leftover egg wash, brush each scone. Bake in the hot oven for 10-12 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving with thick cream and strawberry jam.

 A few tips:

1. Make sure the flour is fresh
2. The butter and water must be ice cold.
3. Using buttermilk or yoghurt cuts through the baking powder and neutralises the acrid taste
4. Do not overwork the dough
5. Sprinkling a little flour on the wooden board will prevent a soft dough from sticking.
6. Work quickly
7. When using a food processor, use the pulse setting
8. As soon as a soft ball has been formed, stop kneading.

Remember the palm is much warmer than the fingertips.  Use fingertips.

Add a little (125ml) cheddar cheese or shredded biltong for a savory twist, or experiment with herbs and spices to create your own signature scone flavor. I love making them versatile, so they suit any occasion or mood.

Enjoy your scones any way you like.  Baking can be a simple, joyful activity-perfect for when unexpected guests arrive or when you want to treat yourself.

Watch my short video for a tip or two.

Every time I bring a pot of jam to the boil, it reminds me of my mother-in-law, who sat me down with a huge basket of gooseberries, handed me a darning needle, and told me to pierce the tiny golden marbles exactly 7 times.  It took me all day, while she prepared and boiled the syrup and watched, counting every jab.

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My Quick Strawberry Jam

1 punnet strawberries, chopped

Weigh your strawberries and use the same quantity of sugar (I would use Xylitol)

Sprinkle the sugar over the strawberries, stir to mix, and leave to stand until the sugar has dissolved.

Slowly bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.  Simmer gently until the jam has thickened.  Drop a teaspoon of jam onto a cold saucer; when the jam has thickened as you desire, remove from the heat, pour into a sterilised jar (place a washed jar into a hot oven for 5 minutes).  Seal.  ( I would only make a small quantity of jam, as we only have jam occasionally)

P.S. Why is it that any old burglar has no difficulty breaking the codes on safes, can break through any security bar, beam, or alarm, but for the life of me I struggle to unzip a small canister of baking powder? The security tag always breaks off on these wretched lids.  I almost lost a finger this time.

Bon Appétit, amigo!