Easy Scones recipe

My sister Kissan's recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

⅓ cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen

½ cup raisins or dried currants

½ cup sour cream (crème fraîche)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon white sugar

Method

Prepare all ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater. Use your fingers to work in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then add the raisins.

Whisk sour cream and egg together in a small bowl until combined.

Stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture using a fork until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to shape dough into a ball. (Dough may seem dry at first but will come together as you knead it.)

Place dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a to 8-inch circle, about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 equal triangles or circles with a stainless steel cutter, place on the prepared baking tray, about 1-inch apart.

Bake scones in the preheated oven until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes; serve warm or at room temperature.

Scones can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to one week.

You can freeze the scones for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.

NB. You can make various types of scones: use your imagination!!

For Cranberry-Orange Scones: Add a tsp of grated orange zest to the dry ingredients and substitute dried cranberries instead of the raisins. You can use a cutter if you wish to cut the dough.

For Pineapple-Pistachio Scones: Add a tsp of crushed Pistachio nuts to the dry ingredients and substitute with dried pineapple instead of raisins.

For Cherry-Almond Scones: Add 1/2 tsp almond extract to the sour cream mixture and substitute dried cherries instead of the raisins.

For Lemon-Blueberry Scones: Add 1 tsp of finely grated lemon zest to the dry ingredients and substitute dried blueberries instead of the raisins.