Flour and Stone bakery is a beloved Sydney institution, famous for creations such as the Lemon Dream Cake and panacotta-soaked lamingtons – but for founder Nadine Ingram, it’s a simple treat like buttermilk date scones that really brings back memories of childhood.
“These scones remind me of Aunty Edna and the impact that baking can have on the ones you love,” she says.
Nadine graciously shared her Aunty Edna’s tried-and-true date scone recipe with Jody Vassallo, editor of recipe book Farmer: Recipes and Stories from the Land, available at Booktopia.
Ingredients
3 cups (450g) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp fine salt
80g unsalted butter, chilled (see tip)
¼ cup (55g) caster sugar
250g fresh dates, pitted, roughly chopped
300ml buttermilk salted butter or jam and cream, to serve
TIP
Take the butter out of the fridge to soften for 30 minutes before you begin so that you can rub it into the flour.
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl, then rub in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, with no lumps remaining.
Add the sugar and chopped dates and toss them through roughly, using your hands.
Buttermilk date scones.
Trickle half the buttermilk over the flour and, with a gentle touch, work it through using your fingertips. Pour the remaining buttermilk into the dough, incorporating it to mould the dough into a ball.
Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use the palms of your hands to flatten it to a 3cm thick round.
Serve date scones with butter, or chantilly cream with jam.
(Credit: Photo: Getty)Sprinkle a little more flour on top, then cut the scones out using a round cutter or an upturned glass. Dip the cutter into the flour before cutting each scone – this will stop the scone from sticking and will encourage a better rise.
Space the scones out on the tray, leaving 4cm between each one. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve the scones warm with a slather of salted butter or copious amounts of jam and thick cream.
For more recipes like this …
This recipe is an edited extract from the Farmer: Recipes and Stories from the Land cookbook, edited by Jody Vassallo. It contains more than 80 recipes from chefs including Maggie Beer and Jamie Oliver. Proceeds from all sales will go towards the Country Women’s Association in support of rural Australians in need.
Available at Booktopia.
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