These are great scones and for me work every time, its a very quick and easy recipe.
The trick to it is not to knead the mixture too much and to have it a little wet. The more you mix and knead, the less light and fluffy, less rise.
Ingredients
Makes 6-8 scones
250g Plain flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt
60g butter soft
Optional (30g currants)
175ml Buttermilk
(if you can't get buttermilk- 165ml milk and juice of 1/2 Lemon - combine and stir - should start to curdle and thicken to light yogurt, alternately mix milk and yogurt)
1 tsp cream of tartar
Method
Heat oven to 200 C
Line a oven tray with Baking sheet and lightly flour
Add cream of tartar to buttermilk and stir
In another mixing bowl - Sift flour, bicarb of soda, sugar, salt
Add butter and combine with flour mixture, until you have a crumble like mix. This stage is important to incorporate the butter and flour.
Stir in currants if using
Make a well in middle and add buttermilk mixture, combine lightly - only till you have a soft and stick mixture.
Flour a surface lightly and tip our mixture. Fold and knead a little (not much) and flatten out to a 2.5cm depth.
Get a cookie or pastry ring cutter. Flour the cutter and cut shapes, place each one onto the floured oven tray. The mixture will be still a little sticky. Flour the cutter regularly to stop the scone shapes from sticking.
Fold together any remain mixture, pat down and cut shapes until all mixture gone.
Place in oven for 10-15min - until golden brown and sound hollow on tapping them.
Eat with clotted cream and jam.