Baking blueberry scones are unexpectedly effortless, they are gloriously old-fashioned and satisfy both greed and impatience. Making them are so quick and easy one can quite literally start a batch the minute the door-bell rings at teatime.
The perfect scone is a light, flaky, buttery cloud. They don’t keep very well and might not last for more than a day but straight from the oven they are amazing. If you have an hour to spend with a pot of tea, these warm blueberry scones with clotted cream and jam are dreamy. Despite being dotted with oozing, heat bruised berries, these delightful babies have that dreamy airiness and are lighter than down pillows and just as fluffy. Exactly as a scone should be.
Blueberry Scones
Serves 6
- 225 g self-raising flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
- ½ t salt
- 55 g butter
- 30 g caster sugar
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup milk
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
- Whipped or clotted cream and blueberry jam, for serving
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Sieve the flour and salt and place into a mixing bowl, then add the butter and rub into the flour to form a breadcrumb texture. Add the sugar and the blueberries and stir to mix. Whisk the egg into the milk. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the milk-egg mixture. Mix lightly until it comes together forming a soft dough speckled with the fruit. Add more milk if required. Don’t overwork the dough in order not to bruise the fruit and to ensure light fluffy scones.
Sprinkle flour on a cold smooth surface and roll the dough out lightly to a thickness of about 3 centimetres. Using a cookie cutter, cut out rounds of dough and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Place in the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and well risen. Serve warm with lashings jam and clotted cream.
Tips:
Try serving the blueberry scones with lemon curd instead of jam. You could replace the blueberries with a handful of raisins or mixed fruit peel plus a pinch of cinnamon for a more wintery option. Another great alternative is to leave out the fruit altogether and fill the scones with coffee flavoured cream once baked.
