Classic Scones With Jam & Clotted Cream Recipe – Chinese Special

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Place the self-raising flour in a large bowl, add ¼ teaspoon of salt and the baking powder, then mix well.

Add the cubed butter to the bowl and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the caster sugar.

Warm the milk in a jug in the microwave for about 30 seconds, ensuring it is warm but not hot. Add the vanilla extract and a squeeze of lemon juice to the milk, then set aside briefly.

Place a baking tray in the preheated oven. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture, then pour in the liquid mixture. Quickly combine everything with a cutlery knife – the mixture will initially seem quite wet.

Sprinkle some flour onto a clean work surface and turn out the dough. Dust the dough and your hands lightly with more flour, then fold the dough over itself 2-3 times to make it smoother. Pat the dough into a round shape about 4cm thick. Use a 5cm cutter (preferably smooth-edged for cleaner cuts and better rise), dipped in flour, to cut out four scones. Gather any remaining dough, press it back into a round, and cut out another four scones if possible.

Brush the tops of the scones with beaten egg. Carefully place them on the hot baking tray in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes until the scones have risen and turned golden on top.

Enjoy the scones warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and clotted cream. If freezing, allow the scones to cool completely first. To serve from frozen, defrost and then reheat in a low oven (about 160°C/140°C fan/gas mark 3) for a few minutes to refresh them.