LEMON AND LAVENDER SCONES
Light and airy with citrusy fragrance, floral taste and little bits of crunch, these lemon and lavender scones are easy to make. They make a perfect breakfast, teatime or picnic treat.
Ingredients
For The Scones:
- 2 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp soda bicarbonate (baking soda)
- ⅓ -½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold cut into tiny cubes
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp blue or black poppy seeds optional
- 2 tbsp lavender buds dried
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ¼ cup cold milk
- 1 tbsp milk brushing on top
- extra flour for dusting
For the Lemon Glaze:
- ½ cup icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp lemon zest
Instructions
Preparation and Baking of Scones:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly butter it.
- Sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl.
- Add lavender buds and 1 tbsp sugar from the measured amount into a mortar.
- Lightly crush it with a pestle.
- Add poppy seeds, lemon zest, lavender buds and sugar to the flour. Mix well.
- Cut the cold butter into small cubes or grate it.
- Add it to the flour mixture.
- Rub the butter into the flour using your finger tips till the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
- Add lemon juice, milk and egg and bring the flour mixture to form a rough dough. Do not knead the dough.
- Lightly dust the work board with flour.
- Tip out the dough onto the work board. Bring it together into a ball.
- Flatten the ball. Either roll it using a rolling pin of flatten it with your palms into a 1 inch thick disc.
- Transfer the disc carefully to the prepared tray.
- Cut into 8 wedges. Brush milk over it.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or till the top is golden brown.
- Remove the scones from the oven and let them cool down.
Preparation of the Glaze and Glazing:
- Mix icing sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice into a thick pouring paste.
- When the scones are cool, drizzle the glaze over it and serve.
- Serve with some clotted cream, butter or lemon curd.
Tips:
- Do not use flowers plucked from anywhere as they may have chemicals on it or insecticides. Its best to buy them from health shops or from your own garden.
- Leave fresh edible flowers in salt water for 5 minutes to get rid of pests, dirt.
- Refresh flowers by putting them in cold water.
- Do not add too much lavender buds otherwise the scones will taste like lavender soap.
- Do not knead the dough. It will become glutinous and the scones will become tough.
- If you feel the dough has become warm, leave it in the fridge till it becomes cold. Cold ingredients are scones best friend.
- You may make round scones using a cookie cutter. Leftover dough is brought together and rolled again. To avoid over working the dough, I prefer to cut them into wedges.