DOES anyone remember the scone? It used to be a staple in most of our cafes and bakeries.
Today though, it can hardly be found anywhere. We’re now used to having new kinds of desserts grace our palate like homemade soft serve ice-cream and gourmet popcorn.
While it’s interesting and fun to try new things on a regular basis, I can’t help but miss nibbling into a good, crumbly scone with a pot of hot tea.
The problem is that most cafes and bakeries have never really got the scone right in the first place.
Malaysians have usually been presented with dry, hard and typically stale scones. It’s little wonder then that we have turned away from this humble yet tasty treat.
But just because you’ve not had the chance to savour a great scone yet doesn’t mean you should give up on this pastry altogether.
The great thing about a scone is that it has been around for literally hundreds of years.
Originally from Scotland, it has graced royal tables, humble bakeries and the homes of many British families.
So getting a good recipe isn’t very difficult. The hard part is actually sieving through all the different “tricks and tips” you may have read about.
Some recipes say you need a specific type of flour. Others may tell you that you can’t bake it on a humid day. There are even those that insist on ingredients like soured milk or lard.
TRICKS AND TIPS
So what are the tips for making the perfect scone? The first is to figure out what you want. Do you like them moist? Flaky? Or airy?
To me, the perfect scone should be light, crumbly, flaky and with a salty tinge.
If you concur, then you’re in luck because I have sieved through all those tricks and tips to ensure the “perfect” scone can be baked in a Malaysian home.
The first thing to make sure is that your scone comes out of the oven crumbly and flaky.
For this to happen, you need to rub cold butter into flour. There are many ways to do this: A food processor, pastry cutter or your fingers. Using fingers though is my preferred method. The catch is that you need to freeze your butter for at least 15 minutes before using it, especially in our Malaysian heat.
The other thing you need to do is cut your butter into very small cubes before freezing. The ideal size for me is 0.5cm by 0.5cm. This is because you won’t be able to rub in large chunks of frozen butter and you’d most likely melt them with your warm fingers before rubbing them evenly.
The next thing you should keep an eye on is the amount of liquid. The type of liquid though is something you don’t need to worry about because scones can be made with anything from buttermilk to yoghurt.
The issue is more about the environment you live in. And we live in a very humid country. So we may not actually need as much liquid to make the dough.
The trick is to use just enough liquid to get the dough to come together. Too much and you will end up with wet dough that won’t rise properly in the oven.
Working with the dough is another issue you should look at. Overworking the dough always translates to a chewy, bread-like texture in your end product.
So it’s best to mix the dough until it comes together and then immediately stop. Don’t knead or even touch more than necessary because the less you do, the lighter and crumblier it will be.
In fact, a very useful tip I found online is to not use a rolling pin. Just pat your dough very lightly until you get the shape you want before you cut it into individual scones.
Finally, use a bit of salt, even if the recipe doesn’t call for it. A bit of salt goes a long way towards creating some depth of flavour for your scones.
It always gives a nice contrast to the sugar that goes into the recipe and makes eating it with jam and cream a little more interesting. A few good pinches would do in a recipe that makes 12 scones.
Other than that, the most important thing to do is make the scone your own. The classic scone is a blank canvas for you to experiment with.
So if you’re into new flavours and textures, try adding those elements into the recipe. You won’t be disappointed.
pqc
Scones
**Ingredients:
250g flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
15g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
2 limes
1 stick of lemongrass
80g unsalted butter (frozen)
150ml whole milk
1 egg
**Method:
1. Cut butter into small cubes and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. Grate limes and lemongrass into flour mixture and whisk until fully combined.
4. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until you have a sand-like texture.
5. Pour half the milk into the mixture and mix until fully combined. If the mixture is still dry, add the remaining milk in small batches until the dough comes together. Pat the dough lightly into a flat disc shape.
6. Using a cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough.
7. Beat the egg and brush it on top of each scone.
8. Bake in a preheated 190C oven for 15-20 minutes or until evenly browned.
Caramelised Pineapple
**Ingredients:
1 pineapple
20g brown sugar
50g butter
1 pinch of salt
**Method:
1. Cut pineapple into desired size.
2. Melt butter, brown sugar and a pinch of salt together.
3. Sautee pineapple in mixture until it turns brown.