Date and Wheaten Scones

Date and Wheaten Scones are probably my favorite. While a fresh-out-of-the-oven Plain Scone has it’s place (especially if you can get proper clotted cream to go with it) and I do also like Treacle Scones, Date and Wheaten scones will win every time as far as I’m concerned. And it’s not a lot more effort to bake either.

Sift the flours, rub in the butter, add the dates and sugar and then mix with buttermilk. Easy! Although be careful not to add too much buttermilk. You want the dough to be soft, not wet. Too-wet scones have a tendency to spread out as they bake. And try not to handle the dough too much either. A light hand makes for light scones. Other than that, it’s easy! I promise.

As with any scone, these are best while still warm from the oven. With butter. And jam.

Ingredients

2oz/55g plain flour/all-purpose flour

6oz/175g wholemeal flour/wholewheat four

2oz/55g butter

1.5oz/40g sugar

2oz/55g dates, chopped

0.5 tsp salt

1.5 tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda

about 3 fl oz/80ml buttermilk (or as much as you need to make a soft dough)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.
2. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl.
3. Rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Add the sugar and dates and stir.
5. Pour in some of the buttermilk (don’t add it all at once) and mix until you have a soft dough, adding more of the buttermilk as you need it. Take care not to overmix.
6. Roll out (until it’s about 1.5 inches thick) and cut into circles. I got 10 scones from my mix, each about 2 inches across.
7. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Bear in mind that if yours are larger than my small scones, they will take longer to bake. Leave to cool on a wire rack for as long as you can resist!

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