I make - orange and sultana scones

This may be my favorite scone recipe so far.

Orange and sultana scones

- 2 cups of plain flour (or self-raising)

- 1/2 cup of porridge oat (optional)

- 1 tablespoon of baking powder (reduce to 1 tsp if using self-raising flour)

- pinch of salt

- 85 g cold butter, diced

- 3 tablespoons of sugar

- 1/2 cup of sultana (or your favorite dried fruits)

- 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- zest from one orange (or lemon)

- 3 tablespoons of creme fraiche (or double cream)

- 150 ml plain yogurt (see instructions)

- 1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon of milk

Mix flour, oat (if using), baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture with your fingers until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. Alternatively, you can use a pastry cutter or a fork. Stir in the sugar and sultanas.

In a measuring jug, pour in creme fraiche and top it with plain yogurt until the total volume is 200ml (for richer taste, you can use all creme fraiche, but up the quantity to 250ml). You can do this at the beginning to thicken the dairy mixture further. Stir in vanilla extract, orange zest and half of the beaten egg. Pour this liquid mixture into the flour one. Mix the dough until it becomes a cohesive mass. Don't overmix.

Rest the dough in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Preheat the oven at 200C 10 minutes before the dough is about to finish its rest.

Roll the dough out into 1-inch thickness and cut into any shape you like (rounds, squares or wedges). Glaze the top of scones with the remaining beaten egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Updated on 16/09/2017. Here are a number of variations I've made. The left five are lemon and blueberries and the right seven scones are cinnamon raisins.