Tuesday 24 February 2009

On a lemony roll, or should I say scone?



The wonderful goodness of the recent Meyer lemon experiments got me thinking about how I don't actually bake enough purely with lemon. I adore lemons and yet searching through the recipes I've made and posted I think there are only a couple that actually use lemon as the main flavour, and that's just not right.

So when I found us without bread for breakfast on Sunday morning I couldn't resist making something with lemon again. I hunted out the amazing scone recipe that has been handed down from my grandmother, to my mother and now to me, and decided that the light texture and wonderfully quick and easy recipe would match perfectly with my desire for lemon and growling impatient stomach.

This time I used a normal lemon, but I think the sharpness was just what I needed as I find things that are too sweet a bit much in the morning. I made a half match which wielded four triangular scones (rolling and using round cutters was just too much), perfect with coffee for Sunday breakfast. We were having brunch as it happened so these scones were added to other things, and so got a dash of maple syrup across them. Oh yes, do that, it's lovely.

These are some seriously delicious scones, so be warned you might scoff them all in one sitting without noticing. I'm so glad I only made four. Oh, and they really don't keep well so you just have to eat whatever you've made in one day. I wish I could lie and say that's a shame, but it really isn't!

Lemon Scones - makes four (but can easily be doubled or tripled for more)

4 oz self-raising flour
3/4 oz caster sugar
1 oz butter
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
zest of two small lemons, or to taste (I like mine pretty lemony)

Preheat the oven to 230C and line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone

Mix all the ingredients together, rubbing the butter into the flour so it becomes like crumbs. Add enough milk to make a dough. Roll out into a rectangle (don't roll too thin as they won't rise much) then cut across the diagonals to make four triangular scones.

Place the scones on the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes (until they are just golden). Serve slightly warm with a tiny drizzle of maple syrup, or opened with lashing of butter and lemon jelly.

See, I told you it was easy!

p.s. I'm a little slow on the uptake, and have only just discovered this wonderful little bit of software that makes your pictures like old school polaroids. I'm totally in love with it and thought this recipe perfectly suited such a quaint picture.

4 comments:

Nicole Pearce said...

Oh, you have been holding out on me with a scone recipe handed down from your grandmother. You know we love our scones, only second to our love of popovers.
In my quest for the perfect scone you know I will have to give these a try. Hmmm....I wonder what lemon scones would be like with Seville Orange Marmalade? You can never have too much citrus.

lynne.litchfield@gmail.com said...

I'm sure my recipe says baking powder - is that the same?

Anonymous said...

Having indulged in the ritual of shrove tuesday pancakes I think your lemon scones sound a lovely idea and the perfect excuse to get off my sewing machine and into the kitchen

Rebecca said...

Comfortstiching: I need to do an incentive swap with you as I have my sewing machine all set up and can't drag myself out of the kitchen!

Lynne: Baking powder is half the strength of soda. I've just checked my version of the recipe and it definitely says bicarb. Mind my scones do puff some and the batter is very light.

Nicole: orange and lemon, it just has to be done. I might try that next weekend myself as an excuse to crack open another jar of marmalade.