Marmalade Scones

During those few weeks that my little sister was staying here, we did some cooking and baking together, by that I mean after baking these I did all the cooking, she just did the tasting. Together we had sat on the floor, pulled out a load of my cookbooks and began to choose something to bake. I have to say at the time the prospect of baking with my little sister was something I looked forward too! When she was baby I changed her nappy, fed her when she was a bit older because my mother breast fed, I bathed her, got her dressed, soothed her, and I used to take her out in the pram all the time. As she got bigger I would borrow my Mum’s bike and stick her in the seat and ride around with her, treating her to sweets and other bits and bobs when I could afford them, I did get into trouble with my Mum once because on our travels Mellie and I would have to cycle over speed bumps, at speed of course, after all that’s what makes it fun right? I did however also teach her the usage of a particular swear word as we went over the top of them, I mean come on, to a 14 year old…. This was highly amusing, until my Mum took Mellie out on the bike and started going over those speed bumps, apparently she didn’t find the inference to faeces amusing! Now that I am older and more mature I kind of get why she was so cross. Even so to be honest it still amuses me, this is a happy childhood memory. Anyway, as I was saying, I was really looking forward to this joint baking project with my baby sister. At this point I would like to say she is highly intelligent, talented young lady, also got handed a rough set of cards but she does ok. So I was all excited right up until the moment we started. TOO MANY COOKS SPOIL THE BROTH type thing was going on, both of us were measuring and mixing that is until I asked her to measure out the liquid and instead of measuring 1/3 cup she measured 1 and 1/3 cups she poured the fluid into the mixture and turned it into slop!..... We had to start over, I use the term “we” rather loosely here, what I really mean is I had to start over. The end result was nice, although I wasn’t overly keen on the marmalade butter.

 

Marmalade Scones

1 cup all purpose (plain) flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 tbsp sugar

2 ½ tsp baking powder

2tsp grated orange peel

¼ tsp salt

1/3 cup milk

1/3 cup cold butter

1 egg

½ cup chopped mandarin oranges, well drained

Extra sugar

Orange butter

½ cup softened butter

2tbsp orange marmalade

1. Mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, orange peel and salt, using to knives cut in the butter until you have a crumbly mixture, whisk together the egg and milk and then slowly add it the crumbly mixture along with the oranges, stir to combine.
2. Lightly flour your work surface, then turn out the dough and knead gently about 10 times, carefully pat the dough into a 6” round, sprinkle the extra sugar on top, then cut into 8 wedges, place each wedge on to a greased baking tray . Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden, at 400˚F/200˚C.
3. To make the orange butter, simply beat the ingredients together until light and fluffy, serve together with the warm scones.

Fruit Scones

As a child growing up, my most favourite memories are of my mother baking. I always felt so safe and protected when I could smell her baking throughout the house. There was always something very soothing, about those sweet warm doughy smells. One my favourites were the warm sweet fruity scones, served with butter that would melt into the scone, strawberry jam and freshly whipped cream. I loved these. This recipe is best if you prepare the fruit the night before.

Fruit Scones

150g mixture of raisins and sultanas

Fresh orange juice for soaking

150g cold butter, unsalted

500g Self-Raising flour

2tsp baking powder

2 heaped tsp golden caster sugar

Salt

2 large eggs

4tbsp milk, plus extra for glazing

1.       Place the fruit into a bowl and cover with orange juice, I like to leave this overnight, but they’re ok if you can only leave them to soak for a couple of hours.

 

2.       Preheat your oven to 200˚C/400˚F. In a large bowl add the butter, flour, baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt, carefully use your finger tips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients so you get cornflake sized pieces. Next make a well in the middle of your doughy mixture, and add the eggs and milk. Stir it altogether using a knife.

3.       Drain the juice and then add the fruit to the dough. It should be a soft, dry dough, if necessary add a little extra milk to ensure you have the right consistency. It will look messy but DO NOT be tempted to make it look pretty and smooth, the less you handle the dough the better. Sprinkle a little flour over the top, cover with cling film and place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

4.       After the 15 minutes chilling time, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, it should be about 2-3cm thick. Using a cutter or a glass cut out rounds in the dough and place them onto a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with milk, place them in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they are risen and golden. Once they are properly baked, let them cool slightly before serving with butter, jam and whipped cream.