Nan's Sugar Scones. I think this has to be one of the best, if not the best scone recipe! I adapted this delicious recipe from one in the April issue of Delicious magazine.
From the moment I saw it, I knew it was something I wanted to bake. A fairly ordinary buttermilk English scones recipe which have lemon soaked sugar cubes pushed into their centers!
The scone dough is fairly simple. It was quite damp, so if you want scones that look more like baking powder biscuits, don't add all of the liquid. I found it very tacky.
I did not want to add too much extra flour to them, so I just patted them out on a well floured surface and used a well floured cutter to cut them out.
Because the dough was kind of tacky they spread a bit . . . the ones in the magazine were straight up and down.
I actually liked them spread out a bit, and soft sided . . .
The lemon soaked sugar cubes melt and end up tasting sort of like lemon curd. It's like magic really!
I love magic in cooking, don't you?
In the magazine they recommended serving them with cream and jam, but I can tell you, they were positively delicious all on their own.
Even the day after. In fact we found them quite, quite moreish!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE NAN'S SUGAR SCONES
These
are delicious! For soft sided scones, place them close together on the
pan, for crisp crusted ones place them on the baking sheet with some
space in between. Adapted from a recipe found in Delicious magazine.
400g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting (3 1/2 cups)
50g caster sugar (1/4 cup)
1 tsp salt
60g cold unsalted butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)
310ml buttermilk (1 1/3 cup)
the finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
the juice of one lemon
15 sugar cubes
buttermilk to glaze
HOW TO MAKE NAN'S SUGAR SCONES
Preheat the oven to 230*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Measure
the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt. Drop in the
butter. Rub the butter in with your fingertip until the mixture
resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the lemon zest. Add most of the
buttermilk, stirring it in with a round bladed knife. Only add the
remaining buttermilk to give you a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured
surface and knead gently 2 or 3 times. Pat or roll out to 1 inch
thickness.
Cut into 2 1/2 inch rounds using a sharp round cutter and
using a sharp tapping up and down motion. Do not twist the cutter and
flour the cutter in between cuts.
Place the scones onto the baking
sheet as desired. Gather the trimmings and re-pat and cut until you
have used up all the dough, and placing them on the baking sheet.
Place
the lemon juice into a bowl. Working with one sugar cube at a time dip
them into the lemon juice, turning to coat, and then push them down
into the centre of each scone.
Once you have finished this, brush the
scones with a bit more buttermilk.
Bake for 12 to 15
minutes until they are risen and golden brown. Serve warm or cold, on
the day, with some cream and jam. Delicious!
Hope you will give them a go and let me know what you think!
Bon Appetit!
Yield: 15 scones
Author: Marie Rayner
Nan's Sugar Scones
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min
These are delicious! For soft sided scones, place them close together on the pan, for crisp crusted ones place them on the baking sheet with some space in between. Adapted from a recipe found in Delicious magazine.
Ingredients
400g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting (3 1/2 cups)
50g caster sugar (1/4 cup)
1 tsp salt
60g cold unsalted butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)
310ml buttermilk (1 1/3 cup)
the finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
the juice of one lemon
15 sugar cubes
buttermilk to glaze
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 230*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Measure the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt. Drop in the butter. Rub the butter in with your fingertip until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
Stir in the lemon zest. Add most of the buttermilk, stirring it in with a round bladed knife. Only add the remaining buttermilk to give you a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently 2 or 3 times. Pat or roll out to 1 inch thickness.
Cut into 2 1/2 inch rounds using a sharp round cutter and using a sharp tapping up and down motion. Do not twist the cutter and flour the cutter in between cuts.
Place the scones onto the baking sheet as desired. Gather the trimmings and re-pat and cut until you have used up all the dough, and placing them on the baking sheet.
Place the lemon juice into a bowl. Working with one sugar cube at a time dip them into the lemon juice, turning to coat, and then push them down into the centre of each scone.
Once you have finished this, brush the scones with a bit more buttermilk.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until they are risen and golden brown. Serve warm or cold, on the day, with some cream and jam. Delicious!
Notes
To make your own self raising flour simply whisk together 1 cup of flour with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt for every cup of flour needed.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #TheEnglishKitchen
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.
Hi Sister Kathie in Washington! I hope you enjoy them! One thing if you can't get the sugar cubes as some have said, try just punching a hole in the middle of the scone with your thumb and filling with a tsp of sugar and a few drops of lemon juice! I think that would also work very well! Enjoy! xo
Never having done so I cannot say with any assurity that it would. But I think that you could push a lemon soaked sugar cube into the center of any scone or biscuit and come up with something quite delicious!
Believe it or not I cannot find sugar cubes in any of our stores. I have ordered some from Amazon but wondered if I could put some Lemon Curd in the middle and get a similar result. I wont get my cubes for a week and I am so anxious to make these. I LOVE making scones and have just found your wonderful site. I love English cooking and your site is delightful. Thank you.
Here is my suggestion which I think would work perfectly well. You could put some lemon curd in the middle, but it won't be the same. I would do this, make a bit of a divot in the center of the scone using the handle of a wooden spoon. Drop in 1 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. I think this would work perfectly fine! Let me know how you get on! Thank you so much for your kind comment, and welcome to the blog! xo
Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!
BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF: Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.
Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.
Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.
Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!
If you are a Baking Enthusiast and a fan of British Baking you are going to love this new book I wrote. From fluffy Victoria sponges to sausage rolls, the flavors of British baking are some of the most famous in the world. Learn how to create classic British treats at home with the fresh, from-scratch, delicious recipes in The Best of British Baking. Its all here in this delicious book! To find out more just click on the photo of the book above!
Translate
This is a book I wrote several years ago, published by Passageway Press. I am incredibly proud of this accomplishment. It is now out of print, but you can still find used copies for sale here and there. If you have a copy of it, hang onto it because they are very rare.
Welcome, I'm Marie
Canadian lover of all things British. I cook every day and like to share it with you!
A third of my life was spent living in the UK. I learned to love the people, the country and the cuisine. I have always been an Anglophile. You will find plenty of traditional British recipes here in my English Kitchen. There are lots of North American recipes also, but then again, I am a Canadian by birth. I like to think of my page as a happy mix of both. If you are looking for something and cannot find it, don't be afraid to ask! I am always happy to help and point you in the right direction, even if it exists on another page, or in one of my many cookbooks.
How novel Marie!
ReplyDeleteYou have an eye to try nice things and then share:)
Thanks Monique! You need to try these! Xo
DeleteGreat way to make scones! I'm going to try it. Thanks so much. Sister Kathie in Odessa, WA
ReplyDeleteHi Sister Kathie in Washington! I hope you enjoy them! One thing if you can't get the sugar cubes as some have said, try just punching a hole in the middle of the scone with your thumb and filling with a tsp of sugar and a few drops of lemon juice! I think that would also work very well! Enjoy! xo
DeleteScones ~ Heaven on earth! xoxo
ReplyDeleteThese are pretty gorgeous Cynthia!
DeleteWould this work with the cream and lemonade scone recipe?
ReplyDeleteNever having done so I cannot say with any assurity that it would. But I think that you could push a lemon soaked sugar cube into the center of any scone or biscuit and come up with something quite delicious!
DeleteSilly question but how do you eat them - on their own like a cake?
ReplyDeleteYou can eat them any way you want to eat them. They are beautiful split and buttered or with some cream and jam. Its up to you really!
DeleteBelieve it or not I cannot find sugar cubes in any of our stores. I have ordered some from Amazon but wondered if I could put some Lemon Curd in the middle and get a similar result. I wont get my cubes for a week and I am so anxious to make these. I LOVE making scones and have just found your wonderful site. I love English cooking and your site is delightful. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHere is my suggestion which I think would work perfectly well. You could put some lemon curd in the middle, but it won't be the same. I would do this, make a bit of a divot in the center of the scone using the handle of a wooden spoon. Drop in 1 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. I think this would work perfectly fine! Let me know how you get on! Thank you so much for your kind comment, and welcome to the blog! xo
Delete