perfect raisin scones
By: Cécile
Published: Saturday, August 9, 2014 - 7:50am

Ingredients




400g flour
40g granulated sugar
90g butter, cut in cubes
2 eggs
150g milk
2 tbsp. baking powder
50g raisins

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F). 2 Bathe the raisins in a bowl of hot water to make them softer. 3 In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt if your butter is unsalted. Add the butter and incorporate it into the mixture using the tip of your fingers, so as to make a coarse meal. Do not overwork the dough! 4 In a second bowl, beat the egg, add the milk and mix. Add this mixture into the dough and mix with a fork. Use your fingers if you think it's easier. 5 Optional: drain the raisins and incorporate them to the mix. 6 Divide the dough into eight balls and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 7 Bake for 15 minutes.

About

Sometimes I treat my family with fresh scones for breakfast. I got this recipe from Isabel Brancq's Brunch, one of the books in the wonderful Marabout collection. It took me a little while to perfect the technique for the dough, but it was definitely worth the effort. The trick here is really to work with the tip of your fingers, exactly as you would when making a crumble. (Feel free to enslave your kids into doing this for you - my youngest daughter happens to have the perfect fairy fingers.)
I like to slice these in half and eat them with butter or a good Sarabeth's jam. The scones are better warm, so don't hesitate to heat them up before serving.