Date & Orange Sour Cream Scones
Introduction
Serves: Makes 12 large scones or 30 small ones
Ingredients
3 level tsp of baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 large free-range egg, lightly beaten
50g (not quite 2 oz) butter, melted
250g (8½ oz) pot of sour cream
Finely grated zest 1 orange
1 cup chopped pitted dates
Method
1 Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl. Stir though sugar. Add egg, butter and sour cream and mix everything together. (I find it easier to do this in a food processor, then to transfer to a bowl). Mix in chopped dates and orange zest if using.
2 Cut off lumps of the dough, gently pat into shape without too much fiddling and place on a cold baking tray (sheet) lined with baking (parchment) paper.
3 Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool. Best served 1-2 hours after baking with lashings of butter.
Recipe Notes
Dust the dates with a little of the measured flour to stop them sticking to the knife when chopping them.
For speed and ease, whip the mixture in a food processor. Orange zest gives the dates a little freshness, but it is not essential.
To keep scones soft, wrap in a clean tea-towel. To revive left-over scones, heat for 10 seconds in a microwave.