This is an American recipe for English-style scones. They're very buttery and rich. Honestly, I think they're richer than I'm used to actual English scones being. And I even swapped out the heavy/whipping (35%) cream for half-and-half (10% MF)! I mean, I'm not complaining; they were delicious. But I am glad that I made them a bit smaller than the recipe called for.

They're quite nice with the currants in, but I would be interested in trying some of the suggested variations at some point. The savoury bacon, cheddar, and scallion version sounds great. (Although I think I'd want to reduce the butter somewhat if adding cheese to them.) And TF seemed enthused about the prospect of swapping out the currants for ginger. Which is especially noteworthy since she's not normally a big fan of scones!

English Cream Scones

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 250g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. dried currants
• 1 c. half-and-half (10% MF)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder.
3. Mix in the sugar and salt.
4. Cut in the butter.
5. Mix in the currants.
6. Pour in the half-and-half and mix with a fork until just combined.
7. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a large disc ~2-3cm thick.
8. Use a 6 or 7cm round cookie cutter to cut out as many scones as you can and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
9. Combine all the scraps and pat into a disc again and cut out a few more scones and transfer to the baking sheet.¹
10. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15-17 minutes.
11. Serve with clotted cream and/or strawberry jam.

---

Variations

Bacon, Cheddar, and Scallion Scones

Ingredients

• 250g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. diced Cheddar
• 1 c. crumbled cooked bacon
• 1/3 c. chopped green onion (or fresh chives)
• 1 c. half-and-half (10% MF)

Ginger Scones

Ingredients

• 250g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. chopped crystalized ginger
• 1 c. half-and-half (10% MF)
• 1 small egg white²
• 4-5 tsp. Turbinado sugar

Directions

1. Make as directed above (substituting ginger for currants), but brush the tops of the scones with beaten egg white just before baking and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Bake as directed.

---

¹ I got 11 scones total. The original recipe calls for making eight, but she was also using a 7.5cm circle for hers. ^Back
2 The recipe says to brush with egg white, but I've seen a lot of traditional scone recipes that call for brushing the tops with milk. I'd be inclined to go with the milk option unless I had egg whites in the fridge already that needed using. ^Back