Scones are a British classic; a delightful baked treat with some delicious fruity jam and smooth cream inside to be enjoyed with a traditional English tea. While scones only consist of six simple ingredients, they can often turn out dense or pale, however, Mary Berry has a simple trick to change that.
The legendary baker reveals a secret ingredient that guarantees light, fluffy scones with a beautiful golden finish. It’s an easy addition, but it makes a big impact on both texture and flavour. Here’s how her secret ingredient can take your scones to the next level.
Ingredients
Mary Berry’s ingredient list serves ten people.
- 225g (eight ounces) of self-raising flour
- One teaspoon of baking powder
- 50g (two ounces) of butter
- Five grams (one ounce) of caster sugar (or muscovado sugar)
- One large egg
- milk
- One tablespoon of golden syrup
Method
To begin with, preheat the oven to 200°C fan / Gas seven and lightly grease a baking tray. Then, combine the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, and then stir in the sugar. Crack the egg into a measuring jug, beat it lightly, then add enough milk to make the total liquid up to 125ml (four fl oz).
Revealing her secret ingredients for golden scones, Mary Berry said: “Use light muscovado sugar instead of caster and add one tablespoon of golden syrup to the milk and egg mixture.
“Beat thoroughly to blend before adding to the flour mixture.” Next, pour most of this into the dry ingredients, saving about a tablespoon in the jug to use for glazing. Mix to form a soft dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly, then roll out to about 1.25cm thick.
Cut into rounds using an eight cm (three-inch) fluted cutter — you should get around ten scones. Arrange the scones on the prepared baking tray, leaving a bit of space between each one.
Brush the tops with the remaining egg and milk mixture, then bake for around ten minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy your scones with fruity jam and smooth, sweet cream.