Scones

(Photo by UK tea room from Pinterest)

The scone recipe I have had the most success with is from the Anne of Green Gables Cookbook, and you can see the recipe here:

http://www.food.com/recipe/afternoon-ruby-tea-biscuits-361754

I use only the most natural organic ingredients including the unbleached flour, pink salt or real-salt,

and I use the lightest tasting olive oil. Organic cream can be substituted for the oil and milk. The recipe works well for non dairy and you can use water instead of milk.  It is adaptable to adding sultanas, walnuts, dried cranberries, dried apricot bits and many other things.

I make this recipe into a scone recipe and do not cut out and assemble them the way it is shown in the recipe.  I simply make the biscuits like any ordinary biscuit and put the cold jam and cream on the tea table to be used according to personal preference.

The way the biscuits are assembled and cooked in the original recipe is a lot of trouble and the baked jam is not as good as fresh jams and cream, but every cook has to find out what works best and what they prefer.

It has been suggested that I make a video about these scones, and I shall certainly think about it seriously. Meanwhile, there are good techniques you can find on YouTube videos about making scones. 

I wanted to mention that in the US and Canada, home cooks do not generally use self-rising flour. Because we use flour for so many different things that require no baking powder, we find it more convenient to use all purpose flour, and many of us are using the unbromated, unbleached lighter flour--not brown flour.  Also with self-rising flour comes ingredients from the baking powder that you may not want, including aluminum.

As for leavening or baking powder, we prefer not to have the aluminum so we buy the non-aluminum baking powder. I make my own using arrowroot, cream of tarter and baking soda. You can find a recipe for homemade, natural baking powder on the web. The natural baking powder reduces the tin taste that often occurs in baking powder biscuits.  Be sure to read the label on your baking powder can. 

Tea and scones is something that can be done in your own yard in summer or in your warm cozy kitchen in colder weather.