Ingredients

The following ingredients have 18 Servings
  • 500 g / 4 cups all purpose white wheat flour
  • 6 level tsp (2 tbsp) baking powder
  • 2 heaped tbsp caster (super fine) sugar
  • a good pinch of fine sea salt
  • 100 g / ½ cup packed fragrance-free (or extra virgin if you don't mind coconut taste) coconut oil at room temperature
  • approx. 320 ml / 1 + 1/3 cup almond milk (or any other thin plant milk)
  • 2 tbsp almond milk
  • 2 tsp maple syrup
  • 2 tsp olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
  • demerara sugar, to sprinkle (optional)
  • thick coconut yoghurt (I like The Coconut Collaborative and Coyo brands)
  • quality jam (I like raspberry, but strawberry is traditionally used)

Instruction

  • Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. This is not strictly speaking necessary, but it helps to get lighter scones.
  • Add sugar and salt and mix well.
  • Chop coconut oil small and then rub into the flour with your fingers until the flour looks pebbly. Do not rush this step or take shortcuts if you are after light, nicely risen scones.
  • Start adding plant milk slowly while bringing the dough together. Start off using a spoon and then just use your hands. Do not handle the dough too much, just until it's combined and stays together. Do not worry about it being very smooth.
  • Place the dough in the fridge for 15-20 minutes (no longer than that as the baking powder will lose its fizz) while you heat up the oven to 220° C / 425° F and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
  • After the dough has had a chance to rest, roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Keep the dough thick (2 cm / 0.75") for fluffy scones.
  • Use a fluted cookie cutter that is 5 cm / 2" in diameter and cut circles out of the dough. Do not twist the cutter as that inhibits rising, simply apply a lot of pressure to the cutter and then lift the cutter with a scone inside. Place over the baking tray and gently pop the scone out onto the tray. I found that dipping the cutter in flour and then shaking the excess off helps a lot when it comes to releasing the scones onto the tray.
  • Bring any dough leftovers very gently into a ball and cut out some more - they won't be as good as the first batch, but if you handle the dough super gently, they will still be very tasty.
  • Place the scones on the prepared baking tray, making sure there is some space around each one. Mix all the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and glaze the tops of the scones with a pastry brush.
  • Sprinkle each scone with some demerara sugar (if using) and bake for 12-15 minutes. My oven heats the right hand side more than the left so after 12 minutes the ones on the right were done, but the other ones needed another 3 minutes. I rotated the tray before baking them for the last 3 minutes so that they are evenly browned on all sides.
  • Let the scones cool down a little before cutting them in half with a serrated knife and filling them with coconut yoghurt and jam.