3. Peel and core the apples, chop half of them and stir into the scone mixture. Slice the remaining apples thinly and put them into a saucepan with the remaining 50g sugar, a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon and 100ml water. Heat and simmer until tender – about 10 minutes.

4. Beat the egg in a measuring jug, then add milk to bring the liquid up to 300ml, mixing well. Add just enough to the rubbed-in mixture to make a soft (not sticky) dough – there will be some liquid left. Bring the dough together.

5. Knead the dough lightly on a floured work surface for a few moments. Wrap in cling film and chill for 10-15 minutes, though no longer, as you don’t want the dough to be icy cold and tricky to roll.

6. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 3cm thick. Use a 5cm plain or fluted cutter to stamp out rounds. Gather any trimmings together, re-roll and cut out more scones.

7. Arrange the scones quickly onto the preheated baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining egg and milk mixture. Immediately transfer to the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes towards the top of the oven, until well-risen and golden brown. Cool a little, then serve with the poached apples and clotted cream.

Cook’s tip: Avoid twisting the cutter when stamping out the scones – just press it straight through the dough. This will help your scones to rise evenly.

Recipe & image: South African Fruit

Apples Scones

About the author

Steve Ott

Steve Ott is editor of Kitchen Garden magazine and started his career as a professional grower, producing everything from cut flowers to vegetables. He has been growing fruit and veg all his life and spends most of his spare time in his garden in the East Midlands. He loves to experiment with crops and varieties he has never grown before and when he isn’t gardening is to be found out in the countryside bird watching and walking his dog Ted.

Advert
Enjoy more Kitchen Garden Magazine reading every month. Click here to subscribe.