James Martin explains why one finishing touch is essential when making scones
The humble scone sparks endless debate, whether it's about slathering on jam or cream first, or simply how to pronounce this quintessentially British treat's name.
Celebrity chef James Martin, who claims he got his personal scone recipe from his nan, has a vital trick that will give you that mouth-watering golden hue that makes a plate of scones so irresistible.
James reckons it's crucial not to let your mixture get too warm: "Use your fingertips first of all, because that's really the coldest part of your body."
Bakers should also steer clear of over-working the mixture because it can turn tough when handled too much.
He opts for strong plain flour, sugar and salted butter, throwing in a pinch of table salt and a couple of teaspoons of baking powder to get some lift into the blend.
But once you've shaped your mixture into scones, there's one thing you absolutely must do before baking. James says: "You then egg wash a little bit with just a touch of salt in it."
James reckons the reason for egg wash is down to the brief cooking time for your scones: "They're not in the oven for very long," he reveals. "Just the oven is quite high, is 220°C."
They're delightful to enjoy warm, crowned with a generous blob of jam and cream (or cream and jam, depending on your preference) or you can freeze a few if you've whipped up a big batch.
If you're freezing your scones, hold off until they've cooled. After thawing, pop them in a gentle oven (about 160C/140C fan/gas 3) for a few minutes to perk them up.
Enjoy these freshly baked treats either warm or cold on the day of baking, lavishly topped with jam and clotted cream. If you're planning to freeze them, do so once they've cooled.
They'll stay fresh for at least a couple of months.
Once you've thawed your scones, simply warm them in a low oven at about 160C for a few minutes to rejuvenate them.
You can garnish your scones with high-quality jam, or take a leaf out of James's book and whip up a scrumptious compôte: "The compote is just simply raspberries," he explains. "They're in season at the moment. Absolutely delicious.
"I just put sugar and lemon juice boiling rapidly for about about five minutes, and then pop them in the fridge and you end up with a really fresh topping and obviously a clotted cream to go with it as well."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
12 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
I tested ready-made supermarket scones… the CHEAPEST were the clear winners & worthy of a posh cafe
Read on to find out which store to head to for the best tea treat SCONE TO A WINNER I tested ready-made supermarket scones… the CHEAPEST were the clear winners & worthy of a posh cafe NO classic cream tea is complete without an oven-baked scone – but the traditional favourite may soon be off the menu at some UK teashops. The fresh versions are to be replaced at a number of National Trust outlets by bought-in versions. But can pre-made versions really compete? As Afternoon Tea Week kicks off today, Laura Stott tests supermarket ones to discover which is the most stately, with marks out of five. Top tip: Pop a shop-bought scone in an air fryer for five minutes at 160C – it will taste like it's just come out of the oven! Specially Selected All Butter Scones Pack of 4, £1.49, Aldi 8 Aldi's scones smell scrummy and have a nice home-baked look Credit: Damien McFadden ALDI's afternoon tea treats certainly look the part – generously sized, they would be right at home in a stately home cafe. READ MORE ON SCONES COUNTRY BEAUTY The quintessential UK break home to top theme park & chocolate-box village Golden on top, they smell scrummy and have a nice home-baked look, complete with uneven edges. Made with 19 per cent buttermilk, 14 per cent British butter and six per cent clotted cream, they are rich in flavour. Crumbly and fluffy yet dense enough for toppings, these are teashop worthy at a low price. RATING: 5/5 The Daily Bakery Sultana Scones Pack of 4, £1.60, Iceland 8 These scones from Iceland tasted more like a teacake Credit: Damien McFadden THESE are made with 12 per cent sultanas but don't contain any butter. They use palm and rapeseed oil instead, which may be why they didn't look quite right – they had a sheen. While scone-shaped, the scones tasted more like a teacake. When I cut one open, it was dry and fell apart. Even with cream and jam, I didn't fancy it unheated. But warmed and slathered with butter it tasted fine. If you want the full cream tea experience these will not deliver. RATING: 2/5 Deluxe All Butter Scones Pack of 4, £1.49, Lidl 8 Lidl's scones taste like a proper scone, if a little sweet Credit: Damien McFadden THESE plump treats have the yum factor with their puffy exterior, golden brown tops and delicious buttery aroma. Made with ten per cent butter, they taste like a proper scone, if a little sweet. Quite cake-like in texture, once I'd smothered mine in cream and jam it had the feel of a mini Victoria sponge, which isn't a bad thing. Soft inside, it could be eaten with just butter. If I was being picky, they are a tiny bit dry. RATING: 4/5 Sultana Scones Pack of 4, £2.20, M&S/ 8 These scones were smaller compared to the others on test Credit: Damien McFadden EVEN though these were the most expensive, they looked disappointing. Compared to others on test, they were smaller and the tops looked too dark, oddly shiny and flat. They lacked the plump appearance you'd expect. Made with 21 per cent sultanas, 13 per cent buttermilk, 12 per cent milk and clotted cream, they were at least moist. Warmed with cream and jam they tasted better than they looked, but they were not good value. RATING: 1/5 Sultana Scones Pack of 6, £1.65, Tesco 8 Tesco's scones were a little dense but rich and buttery Credit: Damien McFadden YOU get six in the pack and considering they are made with 13 per cent butter and 17 per cent dried fruits, these are very good value. They looked liked cafe scones, with crimped edges and a perfect golden colour on top. And they taste very nice, too. A little dense but rich and buttery, and the sultanas work well. The scones could be fresher and less dry, but they hit the spot warmed with butter. Ideal for an everyday eat. RATING: 3/5 Sultana Scones Pack of 6, £1.75, Sainsbury's 8 These scones from Sainsbury's tasted fresh for a shop scone Credit: Damien McFadden THIS pack offered a mixed bag visually – the bigger ones had more plate appeal than the smaller more squished ones, so satisfaction might depend on size. Containing 13 per cent butter and 16 per cent sultanas, these tasted fresh for a shop scone, but you couldn't pass them off as homemade. They smelt delicious warmed, and with jam and cream they were nice, but a bit oily. They could have been tastier and fluffier for the price. RATING: 2/5 All Butter Scones Pack of 6, £1.65, Morrisons 8 This choice from Morrisons didn't look especially fresh Credit: Damien McFadden I WAS not enthusiastic about tucking into these as they looked so plain. There was no delicious freshly baked waft – all I got was a sweet, sugary aroma. Despite containing 17 per cent butter, they didn't look especially fresh either. To eat, they were dry and dull with no flavour. Warmed, they were more enjoyable – but only because of the jam and cream. Dense and far too firm with no fluffiness at all and they felt too compact in the mouth. RATING: 2/5 The Bakery Plain Scones Pack of 6, £1.64, Asda 8 Asda's scones had soft, crumbling insides Credit: Damien McFadden I COULDN'T wait to tuck into these treats as they looked so cream tea-worthy. Made with 18 per cent butter, the scones looked and smelt fresh and delicious with soft, crumbling insides and pale but still appetising outers. Very satisfying. Perhaps a little dense to really hit that teashop sweet spot, but caked in cream and butter they weren't bad. For a teatime treat these are a decent scoff and a good all-round buy. RATING: 3/5
STV News
6 hours ago
- STV News
Polish army veteran, 102, attends mass during Edinburgh visit
A 102-year-old veteran understood to be the last surviving member of a Polish army division formed in Scotland during the Second World War has attended a mass in Edinburgh. Eugeniusz Niedzielski, 102, attended St Ninian and St Triduana catholic church in Restalrig on Sunday as part of a visit to Scotland organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. The veteran arrived at the church in a London black cab, and was met by members of a Polish scout group who had travelled to the capital to renovate Polish gravestones. Smartly dressed in a blazer and beret and with numerous medals on his chest, Mr Niedzielski posed for photographs and chatted to various members of the Polish community in the church hall before attending the mass. Afterwards, Mr Niedzielski remained standing at the front of the church holding a red and white Polish flag, flanked by the scouts and surrounded by children waving miniature versions of the flag. Members of the congregation took the chance to speak to him and had their photographs taken with him, many shaking him by the hand. Mr Niedzielski was born in Poland, and was deported to a work camp in September 1939 when the east of the country was taken over by the Russians. Released by the Soviets in 1942, Mr Niedzielski then travelled to the UK where he joined the new Polish army, which was raised by General Maczeck in the town of Duns, in the Borders, and placed under British command. Serving in the Polish First Armoured Brigade, Mr Niedzielski fought on the western front in 1944, fighting in the battle of Falaise in August 1944, before moving on to the Dutch Border and helping liberate the city of Breda as part of Operation Pheasant. After the war, in 1947, Mr Niedzielski came to the UK and enlisted in the Polish resettlement corps, and he remained in England and lives near London to this day. Speaking with the PA Media news agency after the mass, the veteran said: 'After 84 years I've come to Scotland, to visit places, and (the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans) takes me all round the places. 'What I've seen so far, I've enjoyed it, I've seen what I wanted. 'It brings memories back to me: the places, the monuments and everything.' He added: 'When I was younger, in the forces, I didn't see much of Scotland. 'I saw places where they used to take us on manoeuvres, but I didn't explore any places. Today, (the charity has) been taking me all around.' The itinerary for Mr Niedzielski's trip also includes visits to Alnwick, Kelso and Duns, and he is set to attend the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh next week in the company of two other veterans who also travelled to Scotland with the charity. The 102-year-old said the number of Polish people he had met in Edinburgh had come as 'the biggest surprise'. 'I didn't imagine I'd meet so many ex-Polish people in here (who live) in a community in Edinburgh,' he said. Mr Niedzielski was also asked why, 80 years on, it was still important that we continue to remember the events of the Second World War. 'Because there's no one to tell the tales of what's been going on in the last war, as a soldier's experience and everything,' he said. 'I'm still alive, 102, and probably I'll be missed when I go,' he added with a smile. One of the scouts who greeted Mr Niedzielski on his arrival, 18-year-old Stanislaw Sobiech, said it had been 'amazing' to meet with the veteran. 'For us it's very important, because we learn about this division in school,' he said. 'But reading the book isn't like meeting the man who was the person in the book. 'So, it's amazing. This is the symbol of the history that we are trying to cultivate here by fixing the gravestones and everything. 'But he's the only one remaining. So, you have to listen a little bit to him, because he's very old.' Referring to a famous battle in Italy in 1944, he added: 'I went to Monte Cassino for the 80th anniversary last year, and there was a veteran the same age as him, and he died just three months after the whole celebration. 'So, we have to try and learn as much as we can, because they're just dying, and maybe try to remember their stories and think about them when you can.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
James Martin explains why one finishing touch is essential when making scones
Celebrity chef James Martin has shared his top tips for making the perfect scone, including a key step you should never skip when it comes to brushing the tops before baking The humble scone sparks endless debate, whether it's about slathering on jam or cream first, or simply how to pronounce this quintessentially British treat's name. Celebrity chef James Martin, who claims he got his personal scone recipe from his nan, has a vital trick that will give you that mouth-watering golden hue that makes a plate of scones so irresistible. James reckons it's crucial not to let your mixture get too warm: "Use your fingertips first of all, because that's really the coldest part of your body." Bakers should also steer clear of over-working the mixture because it can turn tough when handled too much. He opts for strong plain flour, sugar and salted butter, throwing in a pinch of table salt and a couple of teaspoons of baking powder to get some lift into the blend. But once you've shaped your mixture into scones, there's one thing you absolutely must do before baking. James says: "You then egg wash a little bit with just a touch of salt in it." James reckons the reason for egg wash is down to the brief cooking time for your scones: "They're not in the oven for very long," he reveals. "Just the oven is quite high, is 220°C." They're delightful to enjoy warm, crowned with a generous blob of jam and cream (or cream and jam, depending on your preference) or you can freeze a few if you've whipped up a big batch. If you're freezing your scones, hold off until they've cooled. After thawing, pop them in a gentle oven (about 160C/140C fan/gas 3) for a few minutes to perk them up. Enjoy these freshly baked treats either warm or cold on the day of baking, lavishly topped with jam and clotted cream. If you're planning to freeze them, do so once they've cooled. They'll stay fresh for at least a couple of months. Once you've thawed your scones, simply warm them in a low oven at about 160C for a few minutes to rejuvenate them. You can garnish your scones with high-quality jam, or take a leaf out of James's book and whip up a scrumptious compôte: "The compote is just simply raspberries," he explains. "They're in season at the moment. Absolutely delicious. "I just put sugar and lemon juice boiling rapidly for about about five minutes, and then pop them in the fridge and you end up with a really fresh topping and obviously a clotted cream to go with it as well."
