The Impatient Chef and the Quest for a Veddy, Veddy British Cream Tea, Part 4, Putting It All Together

In this final installment of The Impatient Chef’s Veddy, Veddy British Cream Tea we put it all  together.  Baking day came on a Sunday.  It was time to make the scones.  

As I mentioned before I used Mary Berry’s scone recipe.  These scones are light and airy, and flavorful, unlike the wedges of crumbly drywall that are commonly disregarded in American coffee shops.  

Equipment: 

You will need a fluted 5cm/2in cutter.

Ingredients:

• 450g / 1lb self-raising flour (recipe after this recipe)
• 2 level tsp baking powder
• 50g / 1¾ oz caster sugar
• 100g / 3½ oz butter, softened, cut into pieces
• 2 free-range eggs
• a little milk
• handful sultanas (optional)

To Serve:

• Strawberry jam
• Clotted (or Devonshire) cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425f (400f convection).  Lightly grease a baking tray (two if they’re smaller).

1. Put the flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Crack the eggs into a measuring jug, then add enough milk to make the total liquid 300ml/10fl oz. Stir the egg and milk into the flour – you may not need it all – and mix to a soft, sticky dough. 
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead lightly and work in the sultanas, if using. Roll out to a rectangle about 2cm/¾” thick.  I divided the batter, used sultanas in half of the scones. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Cut into as many rounds as possible with a fluted 5cm/2in cutter and place them on the prepared baking trays. 
5. Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk, or any egg and milk left in the jug.
   
6. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the scones are well risen and a pale, golden-brown colour. Lift onto a wire rack to cool. Eat as fresh as possible.

To make Self-Raising Flour

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (120g) pastry flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl; use as directed in your recipe.

Recipe Tips

Once the scones are cool, they can be frozen. To eat, defrost at room temperature and then reheat in a hot oven for 10 minutes. The scone dough should be slightly sticky to give the best results. Don’t over handle the dough or it will be tough and don’t be tempted to roll it out too thinly or you won’t get good deep scones. For larger 5cm/2in scones, bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Let's review.  
Pastry Flour from Bob's Red Mill in Milwaukie, Oregon.  https://www.bobsredmill.com
Jam from the Apple Valley Country Store in Hood River Oregon.  https://applevalleystore.com
Scone Cutters from Kitchen Kaboodle in Portland, Oregon.  https://www.kitchenkaboodle.com
Devonshire Cream from Cost Plus World Markets.  https://www.worldmarket.com
Scone recipe from Mary Berry.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tea_time_scones_77839
Fortmason Tea from the Death Star.   https://www.amazon.com

Serving

Get your nicest tea pot, and tea cups.  I have found that Goodwill is a good place to find tea cups, just don’t expect complete sets.   The Impatient Chef prefers loose leaf tea.  Brewing tea is an art.  Pay attention to brewing times and temperatures. For Fortmason Tea, brew it just like Earl Grey—boiling water is fine, and steep no longer than 4 minutes.  A tea cozy is also a must.  Some small plates provide a nice place to put the scones.  Butter is optional.  Put the Devonshire Cream and jam into some small dishes.  Split the scones, add the cream and jam, and enjoy!  

But, we're not finished yet.  There is some controversy in Merry Olde England over whether to spread the cream first, or the jam.  Because people are regional and fiercely proud of their traditions (The Impatient Chef remembers Dr. Seuss's "Butter Battle Book", and how it exemplifies the futility of such fierocitude), the cream first or jam first controversy takes up an inordinate amount of bytes of the internet on all places in the .uk section of the https://www.  Being American, The Impatient Chef can do it both ways as whim permits.  You do the same.