These scones from Afternoon Tea at Home are a weekend breakfast favourite but are also perfect on an afternoon tea stand. Super simple to make and even quicker to eat… all of them! Serve warm from the oven with a dollop of honeycomb butter melting over the top – the perfect treat for a lazy weekend morning or leisurely tea. You can use frozen blueberries if you can’t find fresh.
350 g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
3 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of salt
125 g butter, chilled and diced
75 g caster sugar
175–200 ml buttermilk
150 g fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons demerara sugar
For the Honeycomb Butter
100 g honeycomb or 2 chocolate-covered honeycomb bars
175 g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
a pinch of salt
2 baking sheets lined with baking parchment
Makes 16
Start by making the honeycomb butter. Tip the honeycomb into a freezer bag, twist the end to prevent any escaping and crush the honeycomb using a rolling pin. Cream the butter and vanilla bean paste in a stand mixer until really soft. Add the crushed honeycomb and mix again until combined.
Lay a piece of clingfilm or baking parchment on the work surface and spoon the butter down the middle to form a rough sausage shape, wrap up the butter tightly to make a smooth log, twist the ends to seal and put the butter in the fridge to harden until needed. Alternatively you can make the butter fresh while the scones are baking and use immediately.
Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F) Gas 6.
Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled, diced butter and rub into the dry ingredients using your hands. When the mixture resembles sand and there are only very small pieces of butter remaining, add the caster sugar and mix to combine.
Make a well in the middle of the mixture, add the buttermilk and blueberries and stir to combine using a rubber spatula. Once the dough starts to come together, use your hands to form a rough ball.
Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Very lightly knead for about 30 seconds to bring the dough into an almost smooth ball but do not overwork the dough. Cut in half and flatten each half into a round disc each about 16 cm/6. inches in diameter. Using a long, sharp knife cut each disc into 8 triangular wedge shapes.
Arrange the wedges on the prepared baking sheets and brush the tops with a little milk, scatter with demerara sugar and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 12–14 minutes, or until well-risen and golden.
Cool on a wire rack and serve slightly warm with slices of the honeycomb butter ready to spread on top.
This recipe is from Afternoon Tea at Home by Will Torrent. To get more great blog posts like this one - direct to your inbox – be sure to sign up to our mailing list here.