Earl Grey Scones - Perfect for Afternoon Tea

Earl Grey Scones

Whether you’re cream first or jam, these scones are wonderful to serve with afternoon tea, and are perfect for Easter or any time of year!

Makes 10–12

• 150ml milk 
• 150g full-fat crème fraîche 
• Juice of ½ lemon 
• 450g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 15g baking powder 
• 80g caster sugar 
• Pinch of fine sea salt 
• 80g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing  
• 150g sultanas
• 1 Earl Grey teabag
• 1 egg beaten

Method

Half an hour or so before you start, put the milk, crème fraîche and lemon juice into a jug and mix together. The mixture WILL curdle, so don’t worry: it’s supposed to happen – the acidity in the buttermilk helps with the rise. Leave to come to room temperature. 

In the meantime, make a ½ cup of tea with the Earl Grey tea bag and pour over the sultanas to allow them to steep.

Weigh out the flour into a food processor, alongside the baking powder, caster sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is evenly dispersed in the dry ingredients and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively you can just add the flour into a bowl and use your hands to disperse the butter.

 Add the wet ingredients into the bowl and pulse a few times until you start to get a scraggy dough. Add the drained sultanas, and pulse again until the mixture just starts to come together. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and knead very briefly – no more than a minute or so – until the dough is smooth. The dough will be firm enough to hold its shape, but it will be tender and yielding to a poke. Put the dough in greased bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. 

Flour the worktop lightly and tip the dough onto it. Using your hands, pat the dough down, with a floured hand until about 1 inch thick: don’t use a rolling pin, as you can end up over-rolling it. Cut out using a 6cm cutter: make sure to press straight down and don’t twist. Set the scones on a greased tray, cover with clingfilm again, and leave to rest for a further 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. 

Once the scones have rested flip them over so their flat bottoms become perfectly flat tops. If you put the scones fairly close together, with enough room in between each, the scones will steam as they bake, keeping them softer. Glaze the tops of the scones with the egg, then bake for 12–15 minutes, until the tops are deeply golden and the bases are just gently browned.

They're perfect with our Raspberry Old Fashioned Jam