British Expatriate Network

Hi, I've just been sent a recipe for "best ever scones" from my Aussie friend's mum in Sydney; but I've just realised that flour in the US shops doesn't come labelled as 'plain' or 'self-raising'! What is All-purpose flour - plain or SR? What do I use? Or do I buy all purpose flour and add baking soda/bicarbonate of soda (or whatever it may be called in the States)? Please help! And by the way, here is the recipe

BEST EVER SCONE RECIPE

3 Cups of Self Raising Flour

Make a well in the centre and pour in-

1 Cup/250 mls of cream (single/half&half)
1 Cup/250 mls of lemonade (yes, lemonade! Seven Up/Sprite or similar)

Mix to a firm dough. Cut into shapes and bake in a hot oven. Should take about 15 mins to cook (says Jillian's mum!) This recipe is going around the Sydney suburbs and everyone apparently loves it! I wonder who dreamed it up - I would never have thought of putting lemonade into a cake mix, but then again Nigella Lawson has a recipe for a casserole with Coca-Cola!

Hello Dawn,

All purpose flour is plain flour.

Self-raising flour contains 1 1/2 tspns baking powder and 1/2 tspn salt for each cup of flour.

Cocoa Cola isn't that unusual in cooking, in the South, it is used in a lot of sauces, and especially in BBQ marinades.

Andrew smile

You can buy SR flour here, the one I am looking at is called GOLD MEDAL Self Raising flour.

What temperature do you bake the scones?

There is also something called 'cake flour' which I am told is the best for lighter cakes and pastries - the grains are finer.

Hello Sos,

I would say 400. Some recipes even go as high as 450, but to allow for difference in peoples oven's I would stick at 400 for about 15 minutes and keep an eye on 'em...

King Arthur flour (my utmost favourite flour in the world), make a good quality unbleached self rising (as they say over here) flour.

To see their website

http//ww3.kingarthurflour.com/cgibin/start/ahome/main.html

They also have a good mail order cataloque which is where I buy my parchment paper in really good sized rolls...

Andrew smile

Cake flour is lighter than either self rising or all purpose (plain) flour as it's usually mega sifted (something everyone who bakes should do, is always sift flour before you use it, to make sure that there are no impurities/weavels/lumps etc etc) and as you rightly point out, is a finer grind.

You can make it yourself (should the need arise which is less and less these days) you can substitute all-pupose flour by removing three tablespoons per cup of flour and replacing it with cornflour/starch or potato flour.

Andrew :smile:

Hello Sospan,

I checked other scone recipes in my cookery books and the temperatures on those say

450f/230C/Gas Mark 8 (They also have baking times for scones as 10 minutes, so it's best to check and bake for a little longer if necessary. As you know, all ovens can vary.)

Thanks everyone, I'll have a go at this but since I'm the worst cook in the world, even I could wreck this seemingly simple recipe!