Living In The Country

Ingredients

• 4 cups SR flour (white or wholemeal)
• 1/2tsp Salt
• 4 level tablespoons butter
• extra flour
• 2 cups milk
• I use powdered milk.

Instructions

Sift flour twice with salt into large bowl.
Place butter into flour and using a knife cut through the butter and flour until small pieces of butter form. Make sure hands are washed thoroughly and mix the flour mixture with hands until fine breadcrumb texture appears.
Make a well in the centre of flour mixture and pour in milk, one cup at a time. Mix with knife gentle then gradually add next cup of milk still using knife to mix.
Gentle us finger tips to bring mixture together, DO NOT play with scone mixture for to long. With extra flour, spread onto a chopping board and turn mixture out. Use a little more flour on top if a bit sticky. Just pat together to form a ball, gentle pat out to about 20-25cm circle. Use a scone cutter or a glass to cut out scones.

I like to place them on a tray touching one another to get soft edges, others like to have the scones apart to get a crust on the edges. Personal taste.
Cook for about 15 mins in a very hot oven, about 220 degrees C = 428 F depending on oven. You will have to experiment.

When cooked take the scones out of oven and wrap in a tea towel on a wire rack.
Serve with jam and cream or just warm with butter.

For Date Scones just chop up 2 cups of dates and add to flour mixture before adding the milk.
Lemonade can be used instead of milk to get a little bit lighter mixture.
Sweet Scones just add 1/2 cup of sugar.

The most important part with making scones is not to handle the dough too much. Use only your finger tips and remember you only just have to have the dough pulled together not kneaded like bread dough.
GOOD LUCK. Practise makes perfect.