Here's To Mum
Aren’t we lucky to have special women in our lives!
With Mother's Day coming up we have been reflecting on the mums and mother figures in our lives. Within A&C these mother figures are so special to us and come in the form of step-mums, mothers in law, grandmothers, aunts, mentors, or dear friends - the list goes on and we are so thankful for all of them!
We chatted with the team about how they like to spend time with their loved ones and came to the conclusion that sharing delicious food was key. We went on the hunt for the perfect recipe to share with you and found these Miso, date & honey scones in our newest cookbook; Easy Wins by Anna Jones.
Our lovely Jane took this recipe for a test run and we all agreed that these scones are simply delish. Sweet, buttery and the miso packed a subtle umami punch.
Find the recipe below and have a peek at our gift guide to find a little something to spoil mum!
Miso, date and honey scones
Ingredients
180ml whole or oat milk, plus extra for brushing on top
Zest & juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
450g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
150g cold unsalted butter or vegan butter, cubed
2 tablespoons miso paste
75g soft light brown sugar
5 medjool dates, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons demerara sugar
salted butter, runny honey, creme fraiche and seasonal fruit/jam, to serve
Makes 8 scones
Make the buttermilk
In a jug, mix together 180ml whole or oat milk and the zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon and set aside to thicken up.
Mix the dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine 450g plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda and 1 teaspoon ground ginger.
Mix the Butter into the flour
Add 150g cold unsalted butter or vegan butter in cubes to the dry ingredients along with 2 tablespoons miso, then, with your fingertips, gently rub them into the flour until you have a sandy breadcrumb-y texture, leaving some larger petals of butter as this will make the scones more flaky. Stir in 75g soft light brown sugar.
Add the dates and the buttermilk
Add 5 roughly chopped Medjool dates to the scone mix, working quickly so the butter stays cold. Make a well in the centre and pour in the thickened buttermilk, roughly mixing it together with a fork so as not to overwork it.
Bring the dough together
Tip the rought mixture on to a lightly floured surface, then, without kneading too much, bring it together to forma dough and shape it into a rectangle, neatening the sides with your hands.
Stack the dough to create layers
Cut the dough into three pieces, then stack these on top of each other. Press down on the top with a rolling pin or your hands, then roll or press out into a 3cm-thick rectangle about 16cm x 16cm
Cut the scones
Cut the dough into 4cm squares using a knife and put on to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush the top of each one with a little extra milk or oat milk and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Demera sugar. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. At this point you can keep them in the freezer to bake in smaller batches from frozen.
Preheat the oven and bake the scones
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes until crispy and golden. Bake for another 5-7 minutes if frozen.
Anna's Serving suggestions:
Anna served the scones with butter, honey, creme fraiche and some fresh cherries, but you could serve them just with honey & butter, or clotted cream and jam if you wanted to keep it more traditional.
As cherries were out of season we went for a creme fraiche & raspberry jam combo.. delicious!
Find more goodness in Anna Jones' cookbook: Easy Wins