Recipe for amazing perfect sourdough scones with sultanas and cranberries. Tasty, fluffy and bloomin lovely with a thick smear of salty butter and a good old English brew!
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan) and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
400 g (3 ¼ cups + 1 tbsp) self raising flour, 100 g (6 ½ tbsp) cold butter, ¼ tsp salt, 100 g (½ cup) golden caster sugar, 75 g (⅜ cup) sultanas, 50 g (¼ cup) dried cranberries
Place the flour, salt and butter in a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips until most of the butter lumps have gone. Add the sugar and dried fruit and give it a quick mix.
In a separate bowl, mix the starter, milk and vanilla extract.
250 g (1 cup) sourdough starter, 70 ml (4 ½ tbsp) whole milk, warm, but not hot, 2 tsp vanilla extract
Pour ¾ of the starter mixture into the flour mixture and use a round ended knife to work the mixture together. Add more of the starter mixture and work in gently until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Don't overwork, or you'll get tough scones.
Tip out the dough onto a floured surface and flatten it out with your hands so that it's about 3cm thick. Use a round cutter dipped in flour (to prevent it sticking) and cut out your scones. Make sure you just press the cutter down rather than twist it - otherwise you'll get scones that rise a bit wonky.
Gather the leftover dough, gently rework and cut out the rest of the scones until all the dough is used.
Place on the prepared baking tray, brush with a little milk and place in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
2 tbsp milk
Remove from the oven, leave to cool and serve sliced in half with butter.