Pear, chocolate and hazelnut scones
The Leith's recipe for basic plain scones has now become part of my repertoire - I will hand it down to my descendants and one day they might actually believe it to be my own. That said, the recipe's pretty accessories are my additions!When it comes to adding the milk, add half, mix to combine then slowly add the other half - you probably won't need it all. The pear is moist so the scones will be very wet, and bundling together all the excess dough at the end will be a sticky blob if it's too soggy.
Servings: 7
Ingredients
- 225 g self-raising flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 60 g cold unsalted butter
- 30 g sugar
- 1 ripe pear
- 50 g milk chocolate
- 30 g hazelnuts
- 100-130 ml milk plus extra to brush on the tops
- Oats for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/430°F. Pour the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder. Slice the butter into cubes and add to the flour, rubbing it all together gently with your fingertips. Once finished, stir in the sugar.
- Peel, core and dice the pear. Chop the chocolate into small chunks. You will probably eat some. I don't blame you. Just replace what you've eaten with more from the packet. Crush the hazelnuts with the flat side of a knife. Add everything to the buttery flour, and stir to combine.
- Pour in half the milk and bring it all together into floury clumps. Slowly add the rest of the milk, but you probably won't need it all. Once it's a big doughy ball, tip it onto a clean work surface sprinkled with flour. Bring it together into a cohesive flat circle, about 5cm thick, then stamp out your scones with a cutter or a glass.
- Lay the scones on a baking paper-lined tray, brush with milk and sprinkle with oats. Bake for 15-20 mins until the scones are golden. Rotate the tray for the last 5 minutes if you notice some have more colour than others. Once cooked, risen and smelling incredible, remove from the oven and leave to cool before eating. Of course I know you won't, so eat one warm and spread it with butter or clotted cream.