Saturday, July 28, 2018

LEMON POPPY SEED SCONES

These light, flaky and citrus filled Lemon Poppy Seed scones are a cinch to make and are the perfect breakfast .
That little bit of crunch? Oh wow.

THE perfect contrast to the soft, flaky Lemon Poppy Seed Scones.


I do love a scone. They are just the best. Slightly warm and served with clotted cream and jam = me in heaven.

However, there are plenty of ways to switch them up and instead of a standard scone with raisins/currants, I decided to make a zesty, fresh Lemon Poppy Seed variety.

Mind you, I still think they’d be pretty darn fine with some jam… Oh no wait! – LEMON CURD!

Heck yes. I need to go do that ASAP! It would be like starting my day with pure sunshine!

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones Recipe
These light, flaky and citrus filled Lemon Poppy Seed scones are a cinch to make and are the perfect breakfast for a dull January morning!


Ingredients
For the scones:

  • 2 1/2 cups (350g) plain flour
  • 1/4 cup (50g) caster sugar
  • 2 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • Zest of 2 small, or 1 large lemon
  • 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2-3 tbsp milk

For the glaze:

  • 1/2 cup (60g) icing sugar, sifted
  • 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
  • Extra poppy seeds to garnish, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and line a baking tray with a silicone mat/grease proof paper.
  2. Place flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, salt, zest and butter cubes into a large bowl and rub between your fingers until you have a coarse breadcrumb texture. Some larger lumps of butter and flour are fine.
  3. Add in the lemon juice, stir briefly and then add in the eggs. Mix with a wooden spoon just until you can't see the eggs, then add in milk, 1tbsp at a time, mixing in between each addition until a soft dough forms.
  4. The dough shouldn't be overly sticky, just smooth. A few crumbly bits are absolutely fine!
  5. Tip the dough onto your prepared baking tray and pat into a circle, roughly 1/2 an inch thick.
  6. Using a pizza cutter or knife, slice into 6-8 wedges. I halved the dough both ways, then cut diagonally across both ways to create 8 triangles.
  7. Use a spatula to pick up the scones and just spread them out slightly, just to give them room to rise.
  8. Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes until risen, puffy and lightly golden.
  9. Leave to cool on the tray for at least 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Once cool, make the glaze: place icing sugar into a medium sized bowl, then add 1tbsp lemon juice, mix until well combined and smooth, add in a little more lemon juice if required. You want a consistency which will pour off of a spoon easily.
  11. Place a piece of kitchen roll under your wire rack and then spoon the glaze all over the scones. It's a pretty transparent glaze, so you will only see a sheen on each scone, but it really revs up the flavour!
  12. Lemon Poppy Seed Scones will keep in an airtight container, at room temperature for 4 days.