In pursuit of the perfect scone

Mmm  – that little procrastination gremlin is still lurking and it has taken far too long to get this second post going. It’s not for lack of thinking about it, you know. It’s just that my fingers and keyboard are finding it difficult to operate in harmony. Before the Royal Wedding ( you know – THE Royal wedding) becomes a distant memory I will -get-this- revealed.

What is more delicious than a freshly baked scone, warm from the oven with lashings of berry jam and a grand dollop of thickened cream? Just thinking about it is making me hungry. I can almost smell that aroma wafting through my kitchen. Whew, at least smells are fat free. So , then, what is a perfect scone? Not sure that there is one answer – some like them sweet and cake like , others would say that’s not a scone. Should I rub the butter in or should I do do the quick and easy lemonade version? I decided then to try scones 3 ways to see and taste for myself what makes my perfect scone.

   Take one: traditional way with rubbed in butter, egg and milk , and self raising flour. Result – not so good to look at but tasted delicious – soft, sweet  and slightly cake like. They didn’t rise so well. Why ? maybe the dough was a little wet, or the SR flour a bit flat? Or dough a little thin?

   Take 2: rubbed in butter, used flour and baking powder, also with egg and      milk and sugar. These little morsels turned out a little better but still could have elevated themselves a bit more for a glamorous effect.

   Take 3: bugger tradition – I’m going the antipodean way: no rubbing in butter. Self raising flour, cream and lemonade and a quick mix.

    And there they were: the most beautiful scones. Perfectly risen, light in texture and a delicious crisp crust. After loading with jam and cream – sublime. And just the thing to savour while watching the wedding. I flagged the tea though. Bubbly was far more delicious at 10pm

So for that perfect scone:

1. dont’t mix too much, dough is pretty soft and just off being sticky

 2. pat it out thick before cutting if you want a towering scone. At least an inch thick. No rolling like pastry.

 3. gently pull it apart after baking- never cut it!

There’s no doubt that I will go for the lemonade scones everytime now! So easy you dont’t need to think

• 4 cups self raising flour – sift into a bowl
• pinch of salt
• bottle of cream ( about 300ml)
• can of sprite/ lemonade ( about 300ml)

Pour liquids into flour. Gently mix/ cut in with a knife till coming together nicely. Gently knead on lightly floured surface till comes together and pat into a thick layer. Cut with a cutter for rounds or a sharp knife for squares.

Bake at 225 °C for 10 minutes.

captured: the thief of time

It’s only taken me 10 days since I signed up my blog to publish this post. But I did it. I have written my first words on this ,my brand new blog. Whew. There we go now. Procastination is a terrible state to be in. Rather like being in a maze without a beginning or an end. Everyone says your first post is always going to be one that is terrible. Ok then , I may as well just get it behind me and things can only get better from here.

I’ve twittered with the idea of a blog for years: but what on earth would I write about? What would I call the blog? Who would want to even read it? How would I get it set up? Well, for sure, procrastination is an almost immovable an obstacle. It incapacitates so easily. Maybe it’s just the discomfort of uncertainty that hinders action.

And so here I go. Where this will take me I do not know. Does it matter? Not really in the bigger scheme of things. I am looking forward to exploring how to write, how to embrace all the modern technologies I have just at my finger tips and adventuring through a haven which doesn’t exist in my ‘not 9-5’ work. Life is too short not to adventure into things we love more than things we merely like. Reality bites, though – our passions often are put aside and we spend lots of time doing our ‘jobs’ to pay the bills.

I far prefer my life and likes outside of my work. I love food – cooking it, eating it, shopping for it. In fact there is little about food that I don’t enjoy. I am off on my very own foodie trail.This blog is the written element of my foodies trail. The best thing about it is I can make it just how I want it to be – no rules to follow  – can do it any way I want to as long as I love it. It feels like I’m opening Pandora’s box right now…….