Afternoon Tea :: Lemon Zest Scones

As promised, my British obsession continues! :-)  We finally went to Tea & Sympathy for breakfast! I had English Breakfast tea and Welsh rabbit.  I will admit that up until yesterday I thought Welsh Rabbit was just that: rabbit.  Who knew it was a delicious breakfast toast topped with a spread of sharp cheese, mustard, cream, and eggs.  Yum!  

I picked up a few ingredients at their to-go store, and got home with a jar of clotted cream, strawberry preserves, and ready to make scones!  Scones are a British (or Scottish) quickbread traditionally served with breakfast or tea.  There are endless sweet and savory variations, but I love them with plenty of cream and a dollop of strawberry jam.

* If you can't find clotted cream, here's a recipe or order some here... much easier! :-)

BASIC SCONES (adapted from Tea & Sympathy)

2 cups All Purpose Flour, sifted

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup whole milk, cold 

Preheat oven to 375F.  Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Slowly add the milk and knead the dough with your hands.  Be careful not to overmix or the scones will come out hard.  Mix until all ingredients are combined, and that's it.

With your hands spread the dough on a floured surface to be 1" thick.  With a cookie cutter (1.5" inch for mini scones, 2" for regular size) cut the dough.  As you are cutting the dough, twist the cutter to prevent sticking.

Place the scones on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.  When the scones are cool, cut in half and smear with clotted cream, jam, and serve! 

LEMON ZEST SCONES

My favorite!!! Same as above but decrease milk to 1 cup and add the zest and juice of one lemon to the dry ingredients.

RAISIN SCONES

Same as basic scone recipe, but add 1/3 cup of raisins to dry ingredients.

FREEZING SCONES

You can freeze the scone dough and have it in the freezer ready for your next craving!  Place cut out scones (un-baked) on a cookie sheet and in the freezer for 1 hour.  The scones will harden and will be ready to be popped in freezer bags.