Crunchy Scones Recipes

CRUMBLIEST SCONES

Steps:

• First and foremost, brilliant scones are about having the confidence to do as little as possible, so do what I say and they'll be really great; and the second and third time you make them you'll get the dough into a solid mass even quicker, even better.
• Put the dried fruit into a bowl and pour over just enough orange juice to cover. Ideally, leave it for a couple of hours. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
• Put your butter, flour, baking powder, sugar and a good pinch of sea salt into a mixing bowl and use your thumbs and forefingers to break up the butter and rub it into the flour so you get little cornflake-sized pieces. Make a well in the middle of the dough, add the eggs and milk, and stir it up with a spatula.
• Drain your soaked fruit and add that to the mixture. Add a tiny splash of milk if needed, until you have a soft, dry dough. Move it around as little as possible to get it looking like a scruffy mass - at this point, you're done. Sprinkle over some flour, cover the bowl with clingfilm and pop it into the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's about 2 to 3cm thick. With a 6cm round cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out circles from the dough and place them upside down on a baking sheet - they will rise better that way (so they say). Re-roll any offcuts to use up the dough.
• Brush the top of each scone with the extra milk or some melted butter and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until risen and golden. At that point, take them out of the oven and leave them to cool down a little.
• Serve with clotted cream and a little jam or lemon curd.

CRUNCHY SCONES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and preheat oven to 425.
• In food processor, pulse briefly flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• Drop in the cold butter and process until bread crumb texture.
• In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup heavy cream, egg, and orange zest.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and process, just until combined.
• Turn dough out on floured surface and gently knead in dried currants or cranberries if using.
• Pat dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick and transfer to cutting board.
• Brush top with remaining heavy cream, sprinkle with ground nutmeg and turbinado sugar.
• Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges and transfer to greased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are only slightly golden brown.
• Enjoy with fresh whipped cream and jam.

CRUNCHY CRUSTED CITRUS SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan oven 180C and grease a baking sheet. Tip the ricotta into a bowl and mix in the orange zest and half the sugar until combined. Sift the flour and remaining sugar into another bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour mixture so it looks like fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir the ricotta mixture into the flour mixture, adding a tablespoon or two of milk if necessary to get a soft (but not sticky) dough. Tip the dough on to a floured work surface and knead very lightly a few times only - just until the dough loses its craggy look. If you overknead, the scones will be tough.
• Roll or press out the dough until it's about 4cm/11⁄2in thick. Shape into a neat round, put it on the baking sheet and mark into six wedges with a knife.
• Brush the top of the scone round with milk, sprinkle with a little flour, then top with the demerara sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and brown on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving warm, spread with a little cream or butter, and lemon or orange curd. (These are best on the day of making, but will keep in an airtight container for 1-2 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.)