Remember my stash of lavender goodies?
Proper culinary lavender in dried, oil and honey form. Yummo!
Lavender to me is sweet and wholesome, a bit old fashioned even. So what better match for it's subtle scent than scones?
Reminiscent of tea with Nanna, and a bit of a whiff of Nanna's scented hanky too. I figured a bit of nostalgia was perfect for this afternoon tea treat.
My favourite scones are simple- Lemonade, cream and gluten free flour. No mucking about, no rubbing in, just mix and cook, easy peasy.
The traditional butter is replaced with the fat in the cream, and the sugar is made up for by the lemonade with the bonus fizzy bubbles helping with lift and lightness.
The lavender is just for gratuituos yumminess. Don't worry if you don't have any, it's not at all necessary, sometimes I use ginger beer for a spicy change... but I would certainly draw the line at using cola, or other types of soft drink/soda.
For these scones, I'm going off my lovely BigSisters magic ratio
1kg gluten free Self Raising Flour
375ml can of Lemonade
600ml bottle of lactose free cream
To give my scones their Lavender kiss, I used 1 tablespoon of dried lavender flowers and 2 drops of culinary lavender oil. This is different from essential oil that might not be pure enough and might be mixed with a non-edible base oil. Please don't use any oils that are not specifically sold as culinary.
I halved the ingredients just to keep temptation in the form of too many goodies at bay. The amount of scones made really comes down to how large you cut them. I made mine quite small to nibble on, but sometimes a big fluffy cloud is just the right size for a hearty afternoon tea.
Preheat the oven to nice and hot, about 200*C
You want the scones to get a quick blast of heat to make them puff up quickly
Put the cream, oil and dried lavender in a saucepan and bring to the simmer. Turn off the heat, then allow to cool. The flavour from the flowers will infuse through the liquid flavouring it beautifully. I chose not to strain out the little buds as I think they're mild enough to chew, but you can if you like.
Instead of sifting the flour, I just whisk it about a bit to lighten it up and fluff it up.
To the flour, add the cream and lemonade. It will froth up quite a bit but don't worry.
Now somehow I've lost this photo, sorry guys!
Mix the liquids into the flour carefully, handling it as little as possible to keep light.
Pull it together and pat out evenly until it's just a few centimetres thick
Using a scone cutter or a straight sided glass, cut rounds out of the dough without twisting. This makes sure the scones rise evenly and straight. You might have to flour the cutter if the dough is sticky
Place the scones on an oven tray, either spaced out which will allow the edges to crisp up a bit, or tucked up together to keep them nice and soft
You can brush the tops of the scones with lactose free milk for a nice brown top if you like,
Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the scones are lightly browned and sound hollow on the bottom when tapped
For soft scones cover them up with a clean cloth or tea towel, so as they cool down the steam they release is trapped inside. For crustier scones, let them cool down on a rack so the air circulates around them freely
If the scones are still warm, the best way to split them is to pull them apart gently so they stay nice and fluffy without compacting and making them dense
Slather on some lactose free spread/butter/ lavender honey, breath deeply to inhale the sweetness, and enjoy!
So Dear Readers, what scent makes you think of sweet old fashioned things, and perhaps your Nanna or Grandma?
As a lucky co-inky dink, Sweet Celia from Fig and Lime Cordial is hosting an International Scone Week. So here's the link and hopefully we can generate lots of buzz in the Blogisphere about these lovely baked goodies!
http://figjamandlimecordial.com/
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