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Scones

menu_book picture_as_pdf bookSonya Muhlsimmer Bushcraft Australia
Issue_39_February_2020-58

Scones

Sonya Muhlsimmer

This edition I am going to give you two variants of the same dish. One variant is to make at home, which you can enjoy the next day out on a hike, and you can even freeze them for whenever you feel like a scone. And another variant to make on those multi-day hikes when you want something a little sweet, or savoury at night time. You can even make them at night, or at breakfast for a snack later on in the day, oh a Devonshire tea in the bush with friends, sounds a little divine. Either way, I am sure you will enjoy them.

Making scones is easy, just add water

58 | BWA February 2020


Bake at Home Scones

I bet you have all had a scone or two, but have you ever made them yourself? I've heard that baking scones and particular scones recipes are handed down for generations in families, like a traditional family recipe. I know I used to be very close to my grandmother and she taught me to make scones. There were many hours spent in the kitchen with her cooking up a storm, oh the good old days where have they gone? Then, when I was cheffing I made scones nearly every day, and was pretty good at it. Some people have tried and tried again and still can’t get it right. Don’t worry, these two recipes are hard to get wrong. Go on, make some for your grandmother and see if they pass the test.

Scones historical backgroundThe word scone is thought to come from the Scottish name for the Stone of Destiny where Scottish Kings were once crowned. Other sources say it originated from the Dutch word Schoonbrot, and German word schönbrot which literally means beautiful bread. Back in the early 1500s the word scone was in print in a Scotttish paper, and apparently the Scots started the trend as a quick bread. Scones became popular in England in around the late 1700s and early 1800s due to Anna, the Duchess of Bedford. Anna ordered her servants to bring tea and sweet bread one day, and she loved what the servants made up, so she ordered them every day after that. Here is the bake at home variant. By the way, you can add some mashed pumpkin, cheese and chives, diced dates, sultanas, currants, chocolate chips, and the list goes on.

Self raising flour

3 cups and 1 cup extra for rolling out

Baking powder

1 tsp

Cream

250 ml

Milk

250 ml

Preheat the oven to about 200 °C. In a bowl add the dry ingredients and mix around. Add the cream and milk and mix with a spatula until just combined. Add half of the additional flour to a clean bench, and the other half to a baking tray. Scrape the dough out from the bowl onto the bench. Knead the dough just for a couple of minutes. Depending on how sticky the dough turns out you may need to add a little more flour. Just sprinkle a small amount of flour over the dough, enough that you can work with the dough and it does not stick to your hands completely. Then roll out to about an inch thickness. Using a cutter, or small cup, cut the scones. Place the scones on the flour coated baking tray and bake for five minutes. Turn the temperature of the oven down to about 160 °C to 170 °C and cook for about 15 to 17 minutes until they are golden brown. Pull the scones out of the oven, let them cool then serve with jam and cream or butter. By the way, to know when the scones are ready, simply pick up two scones and bang the bases together and they should sound somewhat hollow.

Read more at foodreference.com/html/a-scone-history.html

BWA February 2020 | 59


Camp Scones

Traditionally, scones were griddle-baked, so, technically this camp style recipe is like the original scone. How about that! Now you can cook up some scones for your friends and even tell them the history of the humble scone. Don’t forget to pack your butter portions and jam or honey. If you bring the portioned jam and butter, they last a long time like a year or more, but if you take a container of jam, it may last about a month, and the butter, only expect about a week, pending weather temperature. The rule is, cooler it is the longer it will last. However you can substitute some Ghee for butter. Ghee has had the milk solids removed so it will last a lot longer before going rancid, but it will not taste as nice as butter as the milk solids have been removed.

At home preparationPlace all ingredients into the allocated bag. Print out method at camp label and place with the bag. Cut out a piece of greaseproof paper to the size of your pot or pan.

Method at campIn a bowl add the contents of the bag. Add ¼ cup of water to this and mix thoroughly to make dough. In a fry pan place the greaseproof paper down, then dollop about 1 large tbsp on the paper to make about three scones. Turn the stove on to a low heat and then add the pan to the heat. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, covered with a lid. Take the lid off and take the pan off the heat. Flip the scones, flatten the scones down on the paper in the pan and return to the stove. Cover the scones with a lid and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. If you do not have a lid, don’t worry, just cook them for a few extra minutes. The lid just helps to keep the heat in. Serve as is, or serve with butter and jam or honey.

Bag 1 (Scone mix)

Self raising flour

1/2 cup

85 grams

Vanilla sugar

1 Tbsp

14 grams

Milk powder

1 Tbsp

10 grams

Water - ¼ cup

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