Ingredients

Basic Mix for Plain Scones

500g Shipton Mill No.1 Bread Flour 500g

40g Unsalted butter - cold and cut into small chunks

2.5g Salt

14g Baking Powder

125ml (g) milk - I use full cream but you choose

1 Medium Egg

Being a glutton, I sometimes substitute 25 g Full Cream Yogurt for 25 g of the milk.

For Fruit Scones

Add 60g Saltanas / rasins or other to your choice

40g Sugar

Method

Pre heat oven to 190 - 200 deg C. You don't want this dough hanging about whilst you wait for the oven to pre heat. The baking powder starts to act gairly soon after you m

Mix the dry ingredients (except the fruit) into a bowl - food processor for lazy people like me

Add in the cold butter a bit at a time until well mixed in (bread crumbs consistency or finer)

Transfer mixture to bowl and mix in fruit

Add milk, yogurt and egg

Mix together using metal spoon until a slightly sticky dough. Do not over-handle. Enough mixing to get even distribution of ingredients.

Turn out onto floured surface and bring together into round or rectangle about 20mm thick

Fold over onto itself and re-flatten to about 25 mm (1 inch) Repeat fold and flatten. Do not over-handle Do not knead. Just bring it together and lightly shape

Finalise shape (disc or rectangle) and place onto baking pan with greaseproof paper

Divide into 6 wedges or blocks using a floured scraper and apply egg / egg & milk wash

Time to prepare - less than 15 minutes

Place in pre-heated 200 deg C oven for 18 - 20 minutes.

When done, they will have a crisp top and side but be fairly soft on the bottom. They will be gloriously craggy if you have not mixed the dough too much.

Place onto wire rack to cool for 15 minutes so that the hot dough can set.

Additional Ideas

Replace 125g of the bread flour with 125g of Shipton Medium Atta

Replace fruit and sugar with:

• 40 g of mature cheddar cheese and a heaped dessert spoon of grated onion, 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

• Finely chopped sundried tomato and a small amount of fresh red chilli. Serve with cream cheese.