Welsh Scones

The “food from the UK” theme continues as we move on from Flapjacks from England, to Scones from Wales.Β  As we embarked on our vacation, I had one goal in mind for food – I wanted to have a traditional afternoon meal of scones and tea. (To be truthful, I also wanted to eat fish and chips, bangers and mash, and some type of pudding, all of which I accomplished – what can I say, I have lofty vacation goals). OnΒ  our second day in Wales, we ventured through the gorgeous countryside to the town of Tintern, home of Tintern Abbey. We were walking through the town after visiting the ruins, and stumbled on a delightful little tea shop.

It was a little cold outside, so it seemed like the perfect time to experience afternoon tea. Between the four of us we managed to order tea, hot chocolate, scones, welsh cakes, and some type of buttered teacake. Everything was amazing, but the scones were incredible. Very different from other scones I’ve tried. I expected something dry and slightly tasteless, but what we got was a light and fluffy biscuit that was subtly sweet and delicious! It was served with jam and clotted cream, and we all loved it. Definitely the best scone I’ve ever had.

When we got back to Michigan, I emailed our bed and breakfast hostess to see if she would be willing to share a scone recipe with me. I was hoping that all Welsh scones were as good as the ones we had in Tintern. She was kind enough to send me her recipe, and I invited Mike’s family to a British Tea Party where I served flapjacks and scones.

The verdict: They’re good, but not as good as the ones we had while in Wales.Β  Once I got over my disappointment, these really grew on me. Mike compared them to bisquick biscuits, but I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. I’m including the recipe in case anyone wants to try authentic Welsh scones. They really are good, but not great. However, if I”m ever looking to make “traditional” scones, this will be my go to recipe. But really, anything would probably taste better if eaten while surrounded by the gorgeous landscape of Wales.

*Note: I included the recipe exactly as it was sent to me, but with a few added instructions to make it a little more clear. I tried to convert the weights to measurements, but none were exact, and really I think it’s better if you just weigh your ingredients. Also, I tried to use regular flour and add in salt and baking powder, but I think I got a litte confused there too, so next time I would just buy self rising flour. Good luck if you attempt this recipe. I love to make traditional foods, so I think I’ll be trying again at some point πŸ™‚

Welsh Scones

Ingredients:

1 lb self raising flour
5 ozs. butter
2 ozs sugar
7 fluid oz liquid (1 egg plus milk to make 7)
4 - 6 ozs sultanas or cherries (I interpreted this to mean any dried fruit)

Directions:

Whisk together flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in dried fruit. Stir in liquid dough begins to form, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Roll out 3/4" thick and, using a biscuit cutter, cut out the scones. Bake at 200C (390F???) for 15 mins. or until lightly browned on top.

from Cathy at Penylan Farm

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16 comments

  1. wow, those scones look amazing – nice work!

  2. I too always imagines scones to be dry. I'm glad to hear that they don't have to be!
    Surprisingly, I never had scones while in England! What!?

  3. If they taste like biscuits, I'd be all over them!

  4. Great breakfast treat!

  5. I'm always on the lookout for a new scone recipe to try! Thanks.

  6. Scones are one of my favorite pastrys/breads to eat!! I can't believe this recipe only uses 5 ingredients!! Super easy!!! πŸ™‚
    Would you mind checking out my blog? πŸ˜€ http://ajscookingsecrets.blogspot.com/

  7. I love the pic of the fam having tea together…definitely a keeper! I never thought I'd see those manly men holding tea cups that way! πŸ™‚ I can't wait to hear more about your trip and see what it has inspired you to bake/cook!

  8. Wow! These look great! How sweet that she sent you the recipe!

  9. Well they look pretty good to me:) I am sure they were tasty and not at all like bisquick…Great photos:)

  10. That was really nice of her to send you the recipe, Megan!
    These look wonderful. I love scones and it was the first thing I wanted to taste too when we visited Scotland.

  11. That's so great she shared the recipe with you! I love scones. I had the best scones of my life in a small bed and breakfast in Ireland once. They were amazing.

  12. Ha! Found another British-related post. πŸ™‚ I was sent a couple recipes from a friend in Britain and she had sultanas listed too. I had to look it up to find out it was raisins. πŸ™‚ I've gotta make that scone recipe. I LOVE scones.

  13. Cranberry Morning – I didn't even realize sultanas were raisins! I just automatically left them out (or subbed dried blueberries) since I didn't know what they were. Amazing what a google search can do πŸ™‚

  14. I'm curious – how were (was?) the bangers and mash?

  15. I never knew Welsh scones were a thing, now I'm gonna have to tell my Welsh friend this, and he's probably going to make me bake it for him. Will consult this page when I do so πŸ™‚

  16. After baking you are also supposed to dust them lightly with icing sugar or I think you call it powdered sugar here in the US. Thanks for recipe. I couldn’t find my recipe book. God bless you!

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