For a tea party with 2 of our granddaughters, Carol made a batch of scones based on a recipe in The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Baking. The recipe made 30 mini scones, which were a hit with cherry jam and whipped cream.
2 cups (8.66 oz.) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
10 Tbs. (1-1/4 sticks, 5 oz.) butter, diced
Grated peel of one large orange
½ cup buttermilk
Milk for glazing
Preheat the oven to 425. Cover a cookie sheet with a sheet of baking parchment or a silicon baking mat.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the grated orange peel. Mix in the buttermilk to form a soft dough. Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick. Stamp out circles with a cookie cutter. Place the dough rounds on the cookie sheet and brush the tops with milk.
Bake until golden, about 12-13 minutes. Serve warm with butter or whipped cream, and jam. (To be really British, serve them with clotted cream and jam.)
Note – The original recipe included 1/3 cup of raisins added to the dough with the orange peel.