Scones

It's not hard to come up with a picture of a perfect scone. Golden top, soft and fluffy on the inside, and that amazing way they seem to magically unfold when you crack them open. And if you're lucky, you might have sampled something that reaches that magical standard (shout out to my high school English teacher).

This may be why I've always found scones so intimidating to bake - knowing you're never going to have the magic touch, and forever striving for some unreachable ideal. What makes that even more nuts is that they are so easy to bake. Five ingredients, a couple of simple techniques and you're on your way to prepping a classic Devonshire Tea.

For this recipe, buttermilk has been used to add some richness to the scones, but if you're light on, you can always use 3/4 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 3/4 cup. Stir, then let it stand for 5 minutes. Also, instead of rubbing the butter in to the mixture, you can save yourself some time on this step by giving the butter and flour mixture a quick blitz in a food processor to get that same crumby consistency.

To make them look all nice and smooth, give the dough around 10 light kneads after you've turned it out of the bowl. Too much and you'll make them tough. Similarly, when you're cutting them out, try to make as many as you can from when you first roll out the dough, and push straight down and pull straight back up with your cutter. Scones made from re-rolled dough can be a little tougher and misshapen, and sides that aren't straight will give you a wonky scone when they rise.

To give the exterior of your scones that delicious balance of soft and crunchy, give them a minimal amount of room apart on your baking tray. When they expand in the oven, they will touch each other at the base for those soft edges, but will also ensure the top will be nice and crispy. The oven heat is also a little higher than for most other bakes - this initial blast activates the leavening agent faster than usual, making your scones rise and expand quickly.

Once you've got some delicious looking scones, is there really any other way to serve them than with truckloads of jam and cream? No matter if you're a jam-on-first or cream-on-first person (apparently there's a difference), think about how much you should put on your scone, then go ahead and an add a little bit more.