as many of my regular and dear readers will know, every year, our local village of Aby has a summer show… it’s a chance for all us local would-be cooks, gardeners, artists and artisans to show-off our talents… it’s pretty much seen as a fun ‘get-together’ and to be honest it’s quite small-fry compared to some of the village and town shows that these days seem to be more like international events…
… even so, there is plenty of friendly rivalry and I wont deny there’s been many a time when i’ve wanted to take a heavy pan to the little old lady from the Women’s Institute… with her basket of rule books and tape measure… particularly when it comes to scones… but that’s another story…
this year, in preparation, I have decided to try out the many different scone recipes that seem to be out there… there are the classics, HRH Delia has a great one… there are the modern, Nigela has a good method… there are the down-right outlandish… and then there are those special hand-me-down recipes that pass from mother to daughter, friend to friend, with tweaks and changes over the years… i’ll try and get as many in as possible before I choose a favourite for the show in August… so if you have a favourite then please let me know, i’ll give it a whirl over the next coming months…
in keeping with the village show rule book the recipe has to be for a fruit scone, so no savoury recipes… we can do that again in the Autumn…
today, because i’ve just had a delivery of fabulous 0% Greek Yoghurt Split Pots from the lovely Total Greek Yoghurt people i’m starting with these light and fluffy strawberry yoghurt scones from Chele at Chocolate Teapot… (well hers were mascarpone which i’ve done a straight swap for yoghurt… but there you go…) … so as not to be wasteful i’ve also included the strawberry compote from one side of the split pot, you could use 2 teaspoons of strawberry jam.
Total Greek Yoghurt Scones
340g self raising flour – with some extra for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
80g butter, cold and cubed
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
150g Total Greek Yoghurt
2 teaspoons of strawberry compote or jam
80ml milk – you may use less or more
1 egg, lightly beaten for glazing
– put the flour, baking powder, salt, butter and sugar into a bowl and crumble into breadcrumbs (you can do this very easily in an electric mixer
– add the yoghurt and compote crumble again, go on, get your hands in!
– now make a well in the centre and add the milk bit by bit, bringing the mixture together, first with a knife, then your hands until a soft dough is formed.
– now working quickly, turn it out onto a floured surface an pat it down to roughly 3cm deep, don’t roll it, and then cut it into rounds… i’ve used a non fluted cutter but you do as you wish!
– brush the tops only with beaten egg
– bake on 210 for 12-14 mins or until golden
my thoughts…
I’ve got to say this was an excellent recipe and the addition of the yoghurt has made them light and fluffy… plus, the inclusion of the strawberry compote in the mix has given them a heady scent and has made them taste like they already have strawberry jam on them, which is genius if you ask me!
eat and of course, enjoy!
that's amazing! wow! it must taste amazing! best thing is that there isn't much sugar!
and the village show sounds wonderful! i love such things.. too bad we don't have anything like that here in Dubai 🙁
Those scones look perfect! I have to try them out!
wow…sounds delicious..wonderful presentation..
first time here…nice space you have with innovative recipe collections.
happy to follow u..;)
do stop by mine sometime..
Tasty Appetite
absolutely love these scones! gloria
These look lovely – I'm a big greek yoghurt fan. Claridge's does the most amazing, lightest, apple scones. Will see if I can find out the recipe (it is probably one of those closely guarded secrets!). Love a village show!
I have the apple scones recipe – would you email me a misscakebaker@gmail.com and I'll send it to you!
Scones are so easy to make. Perfect for when you dont want to wait for a yeast dough to rise and prove. I have not been aware of the importance of shape and size when it comes to scones, until recently. I never made my scones in this fashion.. but then I'm not British so what do I know! 😀 I tried to make them pretty once, but the opposite happened, I'm afraid.
Good luck!
A lovely idea for scones, but is it allowable for the village show? I thought 'fruit' in these cases meant traditional dried fruit – sultanas or currants.
I am curious about whether the yoghurt acts like buttermilk . . . enquiring minds are going to investigate!
Are you going for “World Domination” in the scone department at this summer show?
I'd love to hear the story about that little lady with the rule book! I burst out laughing about you wanting to take a skillet to her!
I vote for wild blueberry scones. Now, if I could only find a way to ship you some fresh from Maine!
Whatever you select I'm sure will be wonderful!
Perhaps you could build a Random Recipe challenge around scones … then you'd have the recipes at your disposal for testing … just a thought. I have a recipe called Dorset Scones that I'll post soon so you can take a look …'kay?
These yogurt based scones do look appealing! I like the idea of the strawberry jam included in the dough!
These sound lovely! I adore scones, though I have never actually made them myself. I think I need to start with these! Thanks for sharing.
wow, thanks for all the lovely comments, scones are dead easy to make, which is why they are so tasty!!
@ spontaneous euphoria – why don't you start one for yourself… maybe just a small street one for now?
@ Angela… do try them, they're yummy!
@ Jay, welcome, thanks for the love
@ LF… it's all about the depth of the dough you pat out… don't roll it and then dont twist the cutter!
@ Suelle… are you trying to make me cry? Do you work for the WI? ; 0 )
@ MS, yes, just like buttermilk x
@ OBCS – yes, always for world domination… check out the link in the post for the story… it was hysterical
@ Susan… nice idea… maybe at the end of the summer?
@ Jenn.. come ON!! so easy to make!
I've always wanted to make scones, I'm really excited to see what others you make! These sound delicious. My hubby & daughter both love strawberries – I think I'll make these for them this weekend 🙂 they sound delicious!
I totally agree, that it is not so easy making the perfect scones. I use a recipe from Ina Garten for mine. I like your switch to the yogurt a lot. Also a great idea to put the jam directly into the dough.
You have my vote for the village show!
Dom, the best scones I've made have been from Mary Berry's foolproof cakes. They are pretty foolproof.
YOurs look pretty lovely, and I think it may be time for me to try out a new recipe 🙂 Thanks mate!!
So glad you liked them – the recipe seems to be a no fail … I am the bench mark on these things for scones lol. I have a recipe for lemonade scones if you are interested at all?
Woo hoo!!!!! Finally a comment that has posted! Could this be an end to my blogging woe's from last week?!?!!?
@ Chele… had a terrible disaster last time I made lemonade Scones but if you have a successful recipe then send it my way… and woo hoo for getting the computer to work… it's a tricky business this interweb nonsense!
I think you may have found the one to confound that little old lady.
Fab scones Dom. Gotta bake some scones soon as well. And nothing like a bit of friendly rivalry. It's always fun.
Just read the other story as well about the evil judge with a small mouth. What a bunch of ….
My tutor at college was always going on about bakers (as in the people who bake the bread in bakeries) using strong flour to make scones, and that's why the ones you get in bakeries are always so well-risen. Thought I'd give it a try and I used a James Martin recipe and it worked so well that I'm now using it for the scones I bake at work. They definitely rise a lot better than scones made with plain or SR flour and they have a slightly different texture.
I can't seem to get the BBC website to load but try this link:
http://tinyurl.com/5wfatcl
Good Luck with your perfect scone – you are being super organised. Scones are so often a disappointment. I've never been very good at baking them, but since using the Greek yogurt I have had great scones every time. You could of course try my chocolate chip scones and just substitute the wholemeal for white flour 😉
http://choclogblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/chocolate-chip-scones.html
Thanks @Aveen that's a brilliant tip. I will try it next time.
@choclette. Mmmmmmm you're choc chip scones are good!
Thought I'd throw my comment into the mix!
I'm not a skilled scone maker (OH would say I need to practice every week!) but I can highly recommend the recipe in Valentine Warner's book 'That to Eat Now – more please!' It worked perfectly and the scones were delicious!
BTW Jam and cream should never ever be put onto a fruit scone… ever!
That's all
Celia
never made a scone myself.. got to try this one !
Dear Dom,
i'm so glad you're on the quest for the perfect scone because I've been thinking of doing exactly the same thing…except now you can do it for me!! LOL
You sound a lot more experienced making scones than me… I think I've only done them once since starting the blog and the previous time was probably 20 years ago. They look marvellous with those scrummy total yogurts.
Thanks @ Celia. I have that book so I'll look it up
@ lines n shades. Do try. You'll love them with clotted cream.
@ Anna. Great minds eh?
@ Sarah. You know me. Always searching for perfection!
How about 'Violet' Or 'Rose' flavoured scones…after all this is a village fate and I'm sure the ladies judging you are of a certain age and may be partial to a 'Violet' scone!!! Not that I'm saying that all ladies of a certain age enjoy flower flavoured baked goods but you never know!!
Total is my favourite Greek yogurt and I'm always cooking with it. These look so gorgeous – a great breakfast if you ask me 😎