Keepsake Recipes and Floral Scones

I'll let you in on a  secret, my biggest desire in creating recipes is to capture memories and make moments for the future. Sometimes I focus entirely on the past, recreating an experience on a holiday or my little outings that often get posted here. Other times I look ahead and think of building up a personal cookbook of practical recipes and classics centred around my tastes. Whether anyone else sees them is secondary, but today I think it's fitting that I finally share the recipe I alluded to from the time I spent in Brighton making floral scones.  

I made these scones for a tea in honour of my mother in a clean and bright kitchen in our holiday flat looking over the coastal city, but the inspiration for them was to recreate a moment from my birthday here, where I ate the cutest little lavender scones that have become a keepsake recipe. You can be certain that these scones work well with other *dried flowers, floral waters or oils. I usually begin with 1 teaspoon worth of flowery things unless a label says otherwise. 

I highly recommend serving scones with clotted cream (also known as Cornish cream or Devonshire cream) and for those of you who cannot buy this very British dairy product with a strange name, you can still make it with a little patience and the right recipe like this one from the Cupcake Project Blog. 

Floral Scones

1 3/4 cup self-raising flour (225 g)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar, preferably caster (40 g)

5 tablespoons butter, cold and chopped in cubes (75 g)

2 tablespoons whole/full fat milk 

2 medium free range eggs

1 tsp dried lavender or other edible flower petals *see above note

Tools: a 2 inch (5 centimetre) fluted scone cutter

pastry brush

To serve: strawberry jam or lemon curd

clotted cream or whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C/200C Fan/Gas mark 7) and raise the shelf near the top leaving room for the scones to rise.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda and sugar together to incorporate air in tot the mix. Add the lavender and  butter and quickly rub them into the flour with your fingertips dropping them back into the bowl to incorporate even more air. 

3. Make a well in the centre of the mix. In a separate bowl combine milk and one egg (plus any floral waters/oils you may be using). With a scooped hand or a wooden spoon for non messy baker pull the flour at the edge of the bowl into the centre. Continue process around the whole bowl until a ball of dough begins to form. 

4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and with the palm of your hand gently flatten dough to 1 inch/ 2.5 centimetre thick or alternatively use a rolling pin. 

5. Pressing straight down cut the dough and do not twist the cutter, but instead lift it up and gently remove the dough. Repeat until all of the dough is cut, re-rolling when necessary.

6. Beat the remaining egg and brush tops of scones with the glaze. Sprinkle with more petals if you desire. 

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Cool a little on a wire rack and eat them warm.  

The miniest Brighton guide ever:
For self-catering short term stays try Crown Gardens. 
For gelato near the pier try Boho Gelato. My flavour of choice was cardamom white chocolate and mixed petal.