In anticipation of the Season 4 premiere of Downton Abbey this weekend, I decided to whip up a batch of scones on Sunday afternoon. I kept it simple and made a basic scone recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Biscuit Bliss. It was a gift from my grandmother a couple of years ago, along with a Nordic Ware Scone Pan. so i can make lovely wedge scones. These scones are wonderful served warm with a little butter and a hot cup of coffee or tea.
Plain Sconesfrom Biscuit Bliss by James Villas
2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup whole milk
all-purpose flour for dusting
1. Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt, add the butter and mix quickly with your fingertips till the mixture is crumbly. Gradually add the milk and stir till a soft dough forms. With floured hands, knead the dough briefly, adding a little more milk if it feels at all dry.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, roll our not less than 3/4 inch thick, and cut rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Roll the scraps together and cut our more rounds. Arrange the rounds on the prepared baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart, dust them with a little flour, and bake in the upper third of the oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Instead of rounds, I baked my scones in my wedge scone pan. One of the best things about this recipe is that you can customize your scones with pretty much any flavors you’d like. Just yesterday, my friend Tiffany sprinkled hers wth vanilla sugar when she baked them. How would you customize your scones?