Our Daily Bread… (continuation)

It started with a catering gig. Which led to a market run. Which led to an impulse buy. Which led to jam. Which led to this.

Let me explain.

I had a catering gig coming up so I needed to head to the market for my prep shopping. And I have to say — I love going to the market. Some people love going to the mall to look at clothes and bags. For me it is fresh produce. There is something about walking through a market, seeing everything laid out, smelling it all, that genuinely relaxes and excites me at the same time. Fresh produce and toys — those are my two great weaknesses in life. If you want to know more about the toys side of that, you can find me over at Figure This Out.

But back to the market. Springvale Market is my go-to. I arrived, put in my meat order with Jack the butcher, then headed around the corner to the Vietnamese bakery for my usual market breakfast — Banh Mi, steamed buns, and prawn dumplings. If you have never had that combination at eight in the morning surrounded by market noise and the smell of fresh bread, you are missing out on one of life’s great pleasures.

Then I crossed over to the fresh produce shop. And that is where the trouble started.

They had a sale on berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries — all of them, all reduced. I acted on impulse. I always act on impulse at markets. I bought so many berries I did not even need half of them for the catering gig. I walked back to my car with bags full of berries and absolutely no regrets.

So what do you do when you have too many berries? You make jam. And what do you eat with jam?

SCONES.

Now this is my go-to scone recipe. The secret weapon is the lemonade — it sounds unusual but trust me, it gives the scones the most beautiful light texture. And the cream instead of milk makes them rich without being heavy. These are proper scones. The kind that make you put the kettle on before they even come out of the oven.

As for the berry jam — that gets its own post because it deserves it. Keep an eye out for that one coming soon.

Lemonade Scones

Makes approximately 12 to 14 scones

375 gms self raising flour
50 gms sugar
100 gms butter, cut into small cubes
200 ml cream
220 ml lemonade

Step 1 — Preheat your oven to 185°C.

Step 2 — In a large bowl rub together the flour, sugar and butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Take your time here — you want the butter evenly distributed throughout the flour before you add any liquid.

Step 3 — Make a well in the centre and pour in the cream and lemonade. Mix together until just combined — do not overwork the dough or your scones will be tough and heavy. You want it to just come together. Form into a ball and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 4 — On a lightly floured bench, roll out the dough to an even 1 cm thickness. Cut into rounds with a scone cutter or a glass. Gather any leftover dough, re-roll and cut again until you have used every last bit.

Step 5 — Place on a lined baking tray, dust lightly with flour, and bake for 25 minutes or until puffed up and lightly golden on top. Serve warm with jam and cream. Speaking of jam — stay tuned for the berry jam recipe coming soon.

*The lemonade is not optional. It is the secret. The carbonation gives the scones lift and the sweetness balances perfectly with the cream. Do not substitute it with anything else. Trust the process.

Happy Cooking and always remember to cook with your Heart…

Stay tuned for more on this series.