Sultana Scone Ring

On the 11th January I posted my New Years baking resolutions. I am glad to say I am still keeping it up through the help of Paul Hollywood's British Baking. The first bake was from the South East of England and was delicious Kentish Huffkin Rolls.

The next stop on my bake around Britain of course had to be Scotland. 25th January is Burns Night (I only remember the date because its exactly a month after Christmas) and my mums side of the family are Scottish, so what more of an excuse to chose Scotland was there?! My mum already had dinner sorted, so I started flicking through the recipe section for Scotland and tried to find a nice quick and easy afternoon treat.  I stopped at the Sultana Scone Ring and thought 'Yep, you'll do!'

Now this is truly delicious with a spread of butter and a cup of tea. A perfect afternoon treat leading up to The Burns Night Supper. Slightly cooled once taken out of the oven but still warm enough to melt the butter. This will make anyone feel happy and warm on a winters day.

Paul says 'Scone rings are traditional in Scotland and the North. In the past they would have been made from oatmeal or barley, both of which thrive in Scotland. Shaped into a round and marked into triangles for baking, these scones retain moisture well and are particularly soft and fluffy when pulled apart.'

Recipe

250g Strong White Bread Flour
A Pinch of Salt
40g Unsalted Butter
40g Caster Sugar
60g Sultanas
1 Medium Egg, Plus 1 Egg To Glaze
2 Tsp Baking Powder
125ml Milk

1) Heat the oven to 220c/gas 7/fan 210c . Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

2) Put 225g of the flour into a bowl with the salt. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, sultanas, egg and baking powder and mix gently with a wooden spoon.

3) Add half the milk and keep turning the mixture gently to combine. Add the remaining milk a little at a time, bringing everything together to form a very soft dough. You might not need all the milk.

4) Dust a work surface with the most of the remaining 25g flour. Tip the dough out onto it and sprinkle the rest of the flour on top. The mixture will be wet and sticky. Fold the dough in half, then turn it 90 degrees and repeat. Do this a few times until the remaining flour is all incorporated and you have a smooth dough. It will also introduce air into the mixture, which will make the scones light. If the mixture is too sticky to handle, dust your hands with flour. Try not to overwork the dough.

5) Form the dough into a rough circle about 2.5cm thick and lift it onto the lined baking tray. Mark it into 8 triangles, cutting deeply through the dough so the knife touches the baking tray.

6) Brush the top of the dough with beaten egg to glaze and bake for 20 mins, until the scones have risen and golden brown.

Sarahs Tips

The salt really does lift the flavour of the scone ring so don't leave it out!

I didn't use all my milk - add a little at a time as you can't take it back.

I had absolutely no problem kneading the dough on my work surface. It wasn't overly sticky or wet (be careful with the milk), so if you follow the recipe you should be fine.

Paul recommends that if you have a fan oven then to reduce the temperature about 10 to 15 degrees - I put my oven to 210 degrees.

My scone ring isn't a perfect circle but I don't care - it enhances its rustic charm!

Don't be scared cutting into the dough to make the eight sections - really go for it! It joins back up when baking but still creates the 8 sections.

I think I should have left my scone ring in the oven for a few minutes longer but due to the egg wash, it turns the dough quite dark. Don't feel intimidated about the dark colour - otherwise you might take it out of the oven too early - leave it in there, it is not burnt!