Desserts, Recipes

An Australia Day Delight: Traditional Homemade Scones with Handwhipped Cream

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If you’ve been wondering where I have been lately, I can assure you that I haven’t been abducted by aliens or taken hostage for a large ransom. Although I have been sweltering in the heat, dealing with the loss of my budgerigar companion Queenie, and subsequently procrastinating from making my myriad of recipes a reality, this is only half the reason why my posts have been infrequent. The real answer I made made just that succinctly for you; I’ve been enjoying a great, Aussie long weekend on the founding of the country. January 26th is officially known as Australia Day and it is declared as a public holiday in celebration of the efforts of the initial colonisation, labour and development of the country that has been strived for, year after year. Naturally enough, this comes with an invitation to abandon all prior responsibilities, break out with the cheese and crackers, the picnic basket and Chardonnay and find a peaceful spot of green grass beneath the raging sun. But of course, as a paradoxically young country but also an ageing population, the generation divides in what we celebrate, how we do it and with what we remember differs from group to group. Thankfully, young and old alike are able to celebrate and herald this great country with good cheer and a welcoming smile.

What makes this particular recipe special is that it is a prominent symbol of transfusion and history, where each family has their own variation to share with the next generation. A simple recipe of self-raising wheat flour, milk, butter and water and a pinch of salt and sugar  has seen iconically Australian since the Federation, and unlike many of the great (and some of the perhaps less tempting recipes, such as beef dripping) have been lost through the test of time, this one stood out like a sore thumb and continues to tempt our palates with its delicate, crumbly texture and melt-in-the-mouth consistency. Many variations of the humble recipe have come to surface from one too many conversations with the elder generation of family friends, some of these alternatives including stale milk, cream cheese, lemonade, whiskey and vanilla bean essence as their “irrefutable” secret to getting the best and tastiest result. Here we will present with the most basic (and perhaps the best of the lot) recipe to give you a feel for the dough as you make it, and giving you the best platform from which to experiment with changes here and there, to suit your own tastes or inclinations.
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It is not unheard of to include in your scones mixture, a few tweaks and changes that I will mention here for you to try once you feel comfortable. The sweetest bite can be found by mixing in a delicious helping of quality golden syrup, a bite added with a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon, a tartness added by mixing through a handful of raisins and tossing into the batter a round, sugared and lightly heated egg. Not only will you find that you are working with a much more pliable, moist dough, but the end product will be comparatively smoother and less crumbly. This might be worth your time if you are not a fan of crumbly pastries or biscuits, as scones are generally a dry dish that requires a topping of sorts.

INGREDIENTS (serving 4)
2 to 3 cups self-raising flour (the latter for roughly 12 large scones)
1 tablespoon of butter
half cup of milk
half cup of tepid water
pinch of salt, sugar
1 small egg (optional, but desirable)
tablespoon of flour for dusting

  1. Preheat the oven to 230C (450F) and prepare two trays with greasing from an application of butter or an oil aerosol spray.
  2. Flour a surface on the countertop or table, spreading it out evenly and being wary of sources of moisture.
  3. Pour all of the flour into a mixing bowl, stirring to remove lumps. Warm the butter slightly in the microwave and add into mixture. Combine.
  4. Make a waterwell in the centre of the flour and slowly pour in the water and milk. Combine until texture is viscous. If too wet, add extra flour.
  5. Place thoroughly mixed dough onto the counter and lightly kneed. Roll out the dough until roughly 2cm thick in depth.
  6. Using a cutter or a drinking glass, shape out rounds roughly 5cm long. Roll these rounds into a small ball with the palm of your hand.
  7. Arrange each of the scones on your oiled baking tray, arranged as far away from each other as possible with the space. Sprinkle with remaining flour.
  8. Brush the egg yolk with a culinary brush to give extra colour (Optional).
  9. Place into the oven on the top and middle racks, baking for 15 minutes or until firmly risen and springing back to the touch.
26 January 2009   ·   3 comments

3 comments to “An Australia Day Delight: Traditional Homemade Scones with Handwhipped Cream”.

Zabby — January 27th, 2009, 1:52 am

I miss these scones! Oh the yummy dollop of thick cream on top of the jam. Can’t wait to have them when I get back. :P

Matt — January 27th, 2009, 10:09 am

Ciao Zabby,

Don’t worry, I bought a big two-litre plastic container of plain flour and the weather seems to be turning toward the cold, so we’ll have the oven going and some tea ready for you!

Sarah — January 28th, 2009, 7:44 pm

MMMMMMM !!!!!! they are soooooo yummy for my tummy

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