COOKING ~ "Aunt Rachel's Scones" from "Great British Cooking: A Well Kept Secret"

Since I am "Mrs. Porter" and not "Mrs. Pottage of Greendale Farm," (see previous post titled, "Postman Pat and the Surprise Breakfast"), Alisdair and I had to find a recipe before we attempted to make Scones.  Once again, inter-library loans provided the answer, in the form of a cookery book titled, "Great British Cooking:  A Well Kept Secret ... Over 200 recipes - from meat pies to plum pudding adapted for American cooks" by Jane Garmey.

I don't know WHO "Aunt Rachel" IS, but here is her recipe for Scones! Garmey says:

"Scones are very easy to make and should be eaten right away as they do not keep well.  (There is nothing in the world more dreary than day-old Scones.)  Traditionally, Scones are served for tea while still warm from the oven, cut in half and spread with butter and lots of strawberry jam.  They are fattening, indigestible and quite glorious.  Makes 8 - 10."

Aunt Rachel's Scones

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
3 ounces butter
1 heaped Tablespoon honey
Approximately 1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar into a mixing bowl.  Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Make a well in the center and stir in the honey and enough milk to make a light springy dough, which should be just firm enough to handle.

Turn the dough onto a well-floured board.  Knead very lightly to remove any cracks and roll out to a thickness of 1/4 inch.  Cut into 2-inch rounds with a cookie cutter or a glass.  Place the rounds on a baking sheet that has been greased and floured.

Glaze each scone with a little milk and bake on the top rack of the oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until the scones have risen and are nicely browned.

Our "How To" in Photographs:

Dry ingredients measured in bowl

Blobs of butter on top of dry ingredients

Alisdair rubbed the butter into the dry ingredients and when he was done, (it took a little while), we forgot to take a photograph of the resulting granular mixture.  We didn't get a picture of the stage where we added the honey and milk, either. (I had to add a fair bit more milk than the recipe called for, in order to make a pliable dough).

Ball of prepared dough

Ready to roll out on a floured surface

Rolled dough ... ready to cut scones out

Alisdair cutting scones out with a pint jar

Some scones are cut, some left to finish

A scone... ready for the oven

Six scones ... ready for baking

The last blob of dough...

A plate of baked scones... (we baked two pans separately)

A plain sliced scone 

Delicious finished product ...
 with butter and strawberry jam

In our excitement, to get the scones in the oven, we forgot to glaze them with milk! 

Alisdair was so funny... as he took the first bite of our finished scones he said, "I am biting into England!"  I couldn't help but laugh at my British wannabe lad!

The scones WERE delicious but I kept thinking there should be an easier recipe (or at least one that made more scones at one time).  We each had a little taste and they were all gone!  Thanks to Mrs. Pottage and Postman Pat for the inspiration for another "Kitchen adventure"/Home Economics lesson!

Who knows what we'll try to cook next . . . . Alisdair is already eyeing a few more British recipes from Garmey's collection.  Perhaps we'll try another in honour of the Royal Wedding, later this week!