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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Happy scone week to you too Rebecca! I was just at Celia's blog checking out her scones :)
ReplyDeleteSo many yummies to choose from, isn't there Lorraine :)
DeleteWhat lovely looking scones Rebecca. I haven't seen that White Wings GF flour before. I'll look out for it. I think the lavender would be the perfect old-fashioned touch to the old-fashioned scone. I'll try to participate in Celia's International Scone Week! xx
ReplyDeleteHi Charlie, you can find the White Wings flour at Coles or Woolies. It works really well and is a good all rounder.
DeleteLooking forward to seeing what you come up with :)
Rebecca - what a lovely recipe! I so wish we could get GF self raising flour and lactose free cream where I live! You are so so lucky - and what beautiful lavender honey too! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame Ina! I know how lucky I am as these weren't available here all that long ago either. I hope they get across there soon :)
DeleteI haven't tried to include Lavender in my recipes but this recipe looks tempting... I can't wait to do it today.
ReplyDeleteJust be careful not to over do it, or it will be just like eating Nannas perfume! Less can be more in this case :) Let me know how you get on
DeleteI love anything lavender.
ReplyDeleteAnd these look heavenly- thanks for sharing!
Your crocheted cover for the scones is lovely.
Thanks Heidiannie! I love floral flavours and am using jasmine, violet and lilac soon too. It must be the touch of Spring in the air :)
DeleteLove anything lavender- and these lemonade scones look delightful.
ReplyDeleteYour crocheted cover for the scones is lovely!
Great, clever recipe. I love the idea of the lavender, those old fashioned flavours like rose and lavender are so comforting, GG
ReplyDeleteI agree GG, they are so soft and sweet indeed. I have some violet and jasmine recipes coming soon too :)
DeleteGorgeous Becca! Your scones are all lovely and smooth on the top, mine always look like a craggy rock face! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Celia! I just gently flip my dough over on the bench once I've pulled it together and that seems to smooth them out. You can also leave them to rest for about 10mins so they can prove a little when you use 'normal' flour. When I use the combi oven at work I use about 20% steam and they are perfectly soft and smooth. Wish I had one here at home!
DeleteHappy scone week :) I havent had scones in years! I love htat you've added the lavender. Whenevrr I smell rice oudding, I think of my grandma :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Scone Week to you to Nic! My Nanna made baked custard with nutmeg on top and that reminds me of her. Isn't it funny how smell brings back so many memories?
DeleteWhat great looking scones! I didn't know you could get culinary lavender oil -must keep my eyes out for that!
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy,each time I've got mine from a lavender producer, so maybe you should try and find one locally? The stuff you get for oil burners and massage oil is definitely not OK to eat :)
DeleteAbsolutely beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhy thankyou Lizzy!
DeleteWhat stunning & tasty looking scones: so special too! I would have never guessed that there was sprite in your scones!!! I never heard of that before!
ReplyDeleteA sure must try! :)
I have made your tasty lemon delicious already 3 times! :) xxx
My secret ingredient Sophie! I hope you give them a go.
DeleteI'm so glad you liked it!!! It's so nice to hear, thanks for letting me know :)
Lovely scones. This is fun, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed, and thankyou muchly!
DeleteSo smooth! I'm going to have to keep playing with mine. They look beautiful Bec.
ReplyDeleteI'm making some ginger beer at the moment so might have to give that a crack, and love the tip to make them soft. I do that with bread but hadn't thought to do it with scones. Thanks lovely :-)
(and love using cream... hurray for no rubbing!)
Thanks Brydie! I prefer nice soft scones, but don't mind chewy crust on my bread.
DeleteThe ginger beer is a really nice subtle flavour as well, and I usually throw in some crystalized ginger to go with it- Yummo. I haven't made ginger beer for years, perhaps I'll get into it this summer? :)
What a great idea for using lavender. I've been meaning to give the lemonade scone recipe a go for ages now, but never have it on hand when scone time comes round. And you are the second person this week to mention the whole "not twisting" thing - I never knew that was to blame!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda,thanks sweetie! I usually have LF cream tetra packs in the pantry and have a stash of the lemonade in little cans or bottles. This way no one is tempted to drink the extra soft drink as I have a bit of a hate against it as a hydration option- but none as an ingredient :)
DeleteThese look so good... I've wondered where I can get lavender to cook with.
ReplyDeleteHi Tania, Herbies have dried culinary lavender in their range and you can get it from them on-line. I get my oil from a lavender grower/farmer so I inow it's totally pure and fit for human consumption. Maybe try a growers market? Good luck!
DeleteGreat way to use your goodies. I think scones and the old fashioned flavour of lavendar are perfect ..... happy scone baking
ReplyDeleteThanks Tania! I loved the match up too :)
DeleteLove love love lavender scones! We have a really cool place up in Daylesford in VIC that do the magnificently. I made lavender shortbread cookies once! So delicious!
ReplyDeleteOooh yummy shortbread! Floral flavours are amazig aren't they? :)
DeleteAhhhh.. I love lavender baked goods!! I've tried making scones once but they were so stiff, hard and didn't rise for some reason! I was even extra careful not to overwork them but not sure why it turned out like that. Still got so much to learn in the baking department and have yet to conquer my fear of baking scones again. But this recipe is really tempting me to do so, I tell ya =D
ReplyDeleteOh dear Winston! You have to try again, you can't let them beat you :) Try this recipe and let me know how you go with them, it's much easier than the other way. Good luck!
Deletehow delightful!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa, the whole house smelt gorgeous while they were cooking too! :)
DeleteRose scent always reminds me of old aunts and grandmas especially rose scented writing paper and rose talcum powder. Lavender always reminds me of pot potpourri.
ReplyDeleteYour scones look so pretty.
Rose, all the way :) I really really really need to make scones (gasp! have never).
ReplyDeleteHeidi xo