Scones

During my childhood years, my parents would always take us to Cameron Highlands for a short holiday even though it might take us four to five hours to reach there. Once all of us have grown up, going to Cameron Highlands has only been an annual day trip. To me, Cameron Highlands back then was much better that what it is now. Yes, lots of hotels have been built, better facilities (maybe), but the weather is not as cool as it was before. Pollutions here and there, and everywhere. We've changed, the weather has changed and so does Cameron Highlands.

One thing that has never changed is the fact that we all love scones! Eating flaky, buttery scones with some sweet strawberry jam and soft cream, taking a sip of the masala tea while enjoying the breathtaking scenery is definitely our cup of tea. Ahhhh, we're on cloud nine! 

We have never failed to get our hands on the scones and tea whenever we are in Cameron. But there's another thing that has changed ever since I started baking, which is, we enjoy homemade scones more than the store bought ones. I admit, my first time making scones, few years back, was not much of a success. Instead of making scones, I made stones. The scones were stone hard. Something definitely went wrong but I did not know what it was. 

I have not been making scones for quite some time after that incident, until I saw Rachel Allen on television, two years ago, making this light sweet scones. I was intrigued by how easy it was and without any hesitation, I gave the recipe a try. And it was an ultimate success! From that day on, her recipe has always been my favourite.

Light Sweet Scones by Rachel Allen.

Ingredients :

• 500g of light Italian or plain flour
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 2 tsp of cream of tartar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 125g of chilled unsalted butter, cubed
• 25g of caster sugar
• 1 egg beaten
• 275ml buttermilk
• 50g of caster sugar (optional)

Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 220C.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add in the caster sugar and mix well.

3. Set aside about a third of the beaten egg and combine the rest with the buttermilk, then add to the flour mixture. Mix briefly to combine into a moist dough. 

4. Place on a lightly floured surface, and knead ever so lightly just to bring them together. (Do not knead like you knead your bread or the scones will be hard) 

5. Press to a thickness of 2cm and using a round cutter, cut out approximately 12-18 scones (depending on the size) and place on a floured baking tray.

6. Add about a teaspoon of buttermilk to the remainder of the beaten egg to make the egg wash. Brush the scones with the egg wash and dip the scones into the sugar, if you want to.

7. Bake in the oven for about 12-13 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve with some clotted cream.