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Traditional English Scones

on February 5, 2016

 

a scone to die for large banner331

 

I am very excited to be a part of the Escape with Dollycas’ Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours today! When I saw the book, A SCONE TO DIE FOR by H.Y. Hanna, I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of the review team. An adorable cover, a clever title, a great story and a recipe for Traditional English Scones…oh yum!

A graduate of Oxford University, Gemma Rose moved to Australia to be a career woman. After eight years she felt discontented and moved back home to Meadowford-on-Smythe, her hometown near Oxford, and opened Little Stables Tearoom. Her mother is appalled that she’s not using her esteemed college degree, but Gemma is finally happy with what she’s doing in life. Her new tearoom is starting to attract more customers, including busloads of tourists. Unfortunately, an “ugly” American tourist visits her tearoom one afternoon. Rude and belligerent, Brad Washington creates havoc in the tearoom and upsets her talented yet sensitive chef, Fletcher. Gemma is relieved when Brad finally leaves, carrying a bag of the tearoom’s scones with him, and hopes that’s the last they’ll see of him.

The next morning when Gemma shows up to open the tearoom, she finds Brad in her courtyard. Unfortunately for him, he’s dead with one of Little Stables Tearoom’s scones stuffed into his mouth. The police soon rule that it was murder and her tearoom is closed for a couple of days while they investigate. The investigator who is assigned the case is none other than Devlin O’Connor, her old boyfriend, and as much as she’d like to forget, she can’t stop thinking about their time together in college…and at times makes a bit of an adorable fool of herself.

The police don’t seem to be making any progress in finding the killer and when a local tabloid prints stories about Little Stables Tearoom’s scones being “killer”, business dries up. After sinking every penny she had, Gemma can’t afford to not have customers, so she determines she needs to follow up on clues that she’s found and find the culprit herself in order to save her business. The clues, however, leave her with many people who would have liked the brash man dead and when her main suspect turns up murdered, the stakes move even higher.

I enjoyed A SCONE TO DIE FOR for so many reasons. The author, H.Y. Hanna, is British and her writing takes on the charming quaintness of an England village. She uses a variety of English colloquialisms, that while unusual to Americans, lends an authenticity to the story. Fortunately for those of us who don’t quite know what some of the words mean, H.Y. Hanna has included a Glossary of British Terms at the back of the book, which is entertaining reading on its own. I enjoyed so many of the characters featured in the mystery: the four “old biddies” who hang out in her tearoom and want to help solve the crime; Gemma’s mother, who can’t quite understand her daughter but steps up when she’s needed; to the cat “Muesli”, who steals Gemma’s heart…and I hear has a more prominent role in Book 2 of the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries. It’s called “Tea with Milk and Murder” and is available now as well. The plot kept me guessing the entire time, while the ending was a complete surprise.

Now back to those Traditional English Scones…. Years ago my husband and I spent three weeks driving through Great Britain, spending the majority of our time in villages similar to Meadowford-on-Smythe and in numerous tearooms. My most favorite part of the day was late afternoon when we could relax in whatever tearoom we stumbled across and nibble on delectable scones and sip steaming hot tea. I made H.Y. Hanna’s recipe at the back of the book for Traditional English Scones and thought they were amazing! I shared some with friends who had spent considerable time in England and received two thumbs up from them as well! I also made some Devonshire Cream, aka Clotted Cream, which is traditionally served with scones. I’ve included a link below with a couple ways to make it…all it is is heavy cream with some patience, which then produces an ethereal accompaniment to scones and jam! I’ve also included a video tutorial (at the bottom of the page) on how to make these delectable scones… they may seem intimidating, but aren’t that difficult at all.

 

GIVEAWAY

 

Thank you to the author for allowing me to share her wonderful book and delicious recipe! And be sure to scroll to the bottom for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card provided by H.Y. Hanna!

 

Traditional English Scones are much easier to make than you might think and are the perfect accompaniment for breakfast or afternoon tea! Recipe shared with permission granted by H.Y. Hanna, author of A SCONE TO DIE FOR.

 

Traditional English Scones

Scones have a long history, originating in Scotland in the 16th Century, and are said to have taken their name from the Stone of Destiny where Scottish kings were once crowned. They are a “quick bread”, a bit similar to Southern “biscuits” in the United States. the original version was triangular-shaped, made with oats and griddle-baked rather than baked in the oven. They have since become one of the highlights of British baking – no traditional English afternoon tea would be complete without warm scones with jam and clotted cream!

A great debate rages in the United Kingdom over the correct way to pronounce “scone” – those in the North say it should rhyme with “cone” whilst those in the South insist that it should rhyme with “gone”. Meanwhile, people have come to blows over whether you should put the cream on first and then jam… or the jam first and then the cream!

There is now a huge variety of scones, both sweet and savory, made with dried fruit, nuts, vegetables, cheese, chocolate chips – and even a recipe with lemonade! This is a recipe for a traditional English plain scone, but it can be modified with the addition of your favorite treats.  

Ingredients

500 grams all-purpose flour (approximately 4-1/4 cups or 17.6 ounces)
4 teaspoons double-acting baking powder*
1/2 cup caster sugar (super fine sugar)**
125 grams butter, room temperature (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon or 4.4 ounces)
150 ml full fat milk (just under 2/3 cup)
2 eggs beaten lightly
Egg and milk wash for the “egg wash” to glaze the scones***

 

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250C / 400F

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl (this is important to add more “air” to the mixture).

Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers – it is important to coat the flour with butter as much as possible. Keep doing this until the mixture has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.

Add the sugar to the mixture and mix well with your fingers.

(This is the stage when you can add in extra ingredients such as raisins and currants, if you wish.)

Add the eggs and some of the milk – do not add all the milk at once; go slow and check that the dough does not become too wet otherwise the scones will “drop”.

Mix well with your fingers until the dough forms a ball.

Tip the dough onto a floured board, scatter some more flour on top, and then knead lightly. It is very important not to over-work the dough otherwise the scones will become very hard.

When the dough looks smooth, gently pat it out (or use a rolling pin) into a thick slab, about 1 – 1.5 inches thick. This is one of the secrets to great scones – not rolling the dough out too thinly.

The dough should now be rested for at least 30 minutes – unless you are using a single-acting baking powder. Some chefs say that resting the dough for hours, even overnight, is the secret to getting really light, fluffy scones.

Using a cutter of your choice, stamp out the scones from the dough. Be careful not to twist the cutter as you are pressing it down – only twist it gently at the very bottom to free it.

Roll up any leftover dough and spread it out again – keep cutting out scones until you have used up all the mixture.

Place the cut rounds onto the greased baking tray or baking paper.

Brush the tops with the the egg and milk wash – this will give them a lovely golden glaze.

Bake in the hot oven for about 12 – 15 minutes.

Cool the scones on a wire rack.

Serve warm with some jam and butter or clotted cream!

Enjoy!

 

Traditional English Scones are much easier to make than you might think and are the perfect accompaniment for breakfast or afternoon tea! Recipe shared with permission granted by H.Y. Hanna, author of A SCONE TO DIE FOR.

 

Notes

*”Double-acting” baking powder contains both cream of tartar and baking soda and causes the dough to rise only after heat is applied. If you use single-acting baking powder (which rises immediately), then you must not leave the dough to “rest” but must cut the scones and bake them immediately.

**If you don’t have super fine sugar on hand, run regular granulated sugar in the food process for a minute or two.

***I used 2 teaspoons egg taken from the recipe’s beaten eggs and 2 teaspoons whole milk. You don’t need to waste an entire egg for this. A little goes a long way.

Devonshire Cream / Clotted Cream

Ingredients

2 – 4 cups heavy cream (raw, unpasteurized if you can find it – regular pasteurized will work…just make sure it’s not ultra pasteurized)

Instructions

Click on this link to WikiHow for using the oven or the slow cooker.

 

 

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26 thoughts on “Traditional English Scones”

  1. Elizabeth Dodd says:
    February 5, 2016 at 6:44 am

    So simple, yet so delicious.
    And the book title is quite fun.
    I wish there were a nice tea room in my area.

    Reply
  2. Sara Carver says:
    February 5, 2016 at 9:48 am

    I made scones for the first time, my daughter’s ate them up!!!

    Reply
  3. Peggy says:
    February 5, 2016 at 9:59 am

    Thank you for the Traditional English Scone recipe! I’m looking forward to trying it with my granddaughter this weekend.

    Reply
  4. Rosie G says:
    February 5, 2016 at 10:10 am

    Sounds like a fun read. The scones sound delish.

    Reply
  5. Donna Gantt says:
    February 5, 2016 at 10:28 am

    Those scones look delectable! I love culinary cozies! Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard says:
    February 5, 2016 at 10:39 am

    I adore scones — and cozy mysteries. I’ll try this recipe, though our family favorite is one we got from an English friend of my parents, when they visited her in Cambridge. And I’ll check out the book series!

    Reply
  7. Pat Walker Pinkston says:
    February 5, 2016 at 11:04 am

    Looking forward to reading A Scone To Die For by H.Y. Hanna. And, to making these scones.

    Reply
  8. Sally Schmidt says:
    February 5, 2016 at 11:40 am

    Great review, had me putting this on my TBR. And looks like a recipe I will be trying. Love scones. Thanks for the giveaway.

    Reply
  9. Elaine Roberson says:
    February 5, 2016 at 12:04 pm

    This would be a great title to add to my cozy challenge list. Thanks for a chance to win a copy and for a great recipe.

    Reply
  10. Celia Fowler says:
    February 5, 2016 at 12:10 pm

    I love scones! Thanks for the recipe and for the giveaway!

    Reply
  11. Margaret Rushton says:
    February 5, 2016 at 1:33 pm

    I love scones but never had Traditional English Scones. Can’t wait to try the recipe.
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  12. Amanda Wilcox says:
    February 5, 2016 at 2:08 pm

    This book looks great and so do the scones! Thanks for the recipe and the chance to win!

    Reply
  13. Della Williamson says:
    February 5, 2016 at 4:38 pm

    Interesting story. Nice cover. Love the recipe. We want to give it a try this weekend thanks for the recipe. The book. The giveaway.

    Reply
  14. Kathy Keith says:
    February 5, 2016 at 4:41 pm

    I know we would love these scones! Would love the book too! Thanks!

    Reply
  15. Mary Holshouser says:
    February 5, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    I love cinnamon scones. I’ve never made them but I get them at the Bread Company.
    the teapot is so pretty. Thanks

    Reply
  16. H.Y. Hanna says:
    February 6, 2016 at 1:07 am

    Wow, thank you for featuring my book and taking the time to try out my Traditional English Scone recipe! I’m so honoured and flattered – and I must say, your photos are absolutely GORGEOUS and put my own attempts to shame – ha! ha!

    And I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the book – thank you for your lovely, thoughtful review!

    Good luck to all those who entered the giveaway! 🙂

    best wishes,
    Hsin-Yi & Muesli
    (H.Y. Hanna)

    Reply
    • Kim says:
      February 6, 2016 at 8:26 am

      You are very welcome…I’m so pleased that you liked my blog post!!! Your recipe was so well written that it made it easy to follow the directions without worrying whether it would turn out or not 🙂 I look forward to reading more in your delightful series!

      Reply
  17. Andra Weis says:
    February 6, 2016 at 7:45 am

    Scones look delectable. Bthe book looks like a fun read.

    Reply
  18. Jeanie Dannheim says:
    February 6, 2016 at 10:51 am

    The recipe looks like fun – I had a whole different idea of what they looked like before seeing this! I would love to read this mystery; it sounds so exciting from your review! Thank you for the chance to win, and congrats to author for the release of the second novel in the series!

    Reply
  19. Carol M says:
    February 7, 2016 at 8:25 am

    Thank you for the Traditional English Scone recipe! They sound really good!

    Reply
  20. Linda Kish says:
    February 7, 2016 at 2:17 pm

    My son loves scones. Me, not so much.

    Reply
  21. Lola says:
    February 8, 2016 at 6:41 am

    I really enjoyed this book as well and the mystery kept me guessing! I also already read the second book in this series and really enjoyed that one as well.
    Thanks for sharign your recipe for scones, I’ll pin this post so I can try making scones once. I love scones, but never made them myself and didn’t have a recipe for them yet, so I’ll be giving this a try soon!

    Reply
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About Kim Davis

I love to bake all sorts of treats and on occasion indulge my inner artist by decorating cakes and cookies. Follow along with me for recipes, and creative inspiration in the kitchen along with reviews on what mystery I'm reading.

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