Exclusive recipe : Hot Cross Scones

So it was after a little bit of a moan to our new foodie columnist, Odette Insoll, from Nouvelle Habit, that she came up with this brilliant new exclusive recipe for Hot Cross Scones. 

Hot Cross Scones – makes 16 large scones

Ingredients 

900g Self raising flour

170g Caster sugar

170g Margarine

250g Dried fruit (you can use a mix of raisins, candied peel, or any thing you have in the house)

500ml Milk (you can use milk alternatives or water instead)

1tsp Mixed spice

1tsp Cinnamon 

2tsp Baking powder

1 Zest of lemon

1 pinch of salt

1 egg beaten for wash

Golden syrup or maple syrup for final glaze

Method

1. Put the Flour, Sugar, Salt, Mixed spice, Cinnamon, Baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the Margarine and mix it in using your fingertips, until it looks like fine bread crumbs.

3. Next add the dried fruit and lemon zest then mix into the flour mixture

4. Make a well in the centre and pour the milk in. Then mix the lot together to make a dough. Try not to over mix the dough as this will make the scones heavy.

5. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees

6. Roll the dough out to about 1 ½ inch thick and cut out your scones save a small amount of dough to roll in to small sausage to use as your crosses.

7. Once cut out egg wash the top of your scones, making sure not to let it drip down the side as this will cause an uneven rise. Once egg washed then place your dough sausages on top in crosses.

8. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove and place on a cooling rack. Then to finish you can glaze the top with either golden or maple syrup.

Serve fresh out of the oven hot with butter, or cut in half when cold and reheat under the grill to toast them. Enjoy!