Martha Collison’s Coronation Crown Scones
The 6th of May is the Coronation of King Charles III and chefs, home cooks, and bakers are sharing Coronation-inspired eats to celebrate the occasion. BBC World’s Table shared Martha Collison‘s Coronation Crown Scone recipe that promises to be a fun bake this weekend.
“I’ve infused my scone dough with Darjeeling tea and honey: supposedly how King Charles takes his afternoon cup of tea, and have used scissors to shape the top of the dough into a crown, so they will really stand out in your Afternoon Tea spread.” – Martha Collison
Martha's Coronation Crown Scones
These scones are perfect for celebrating, as they are each shaped into crowns! Garnish with gold leaf or lustre spray if you're feeling luxurious. They are flavoured with King Charles's favourite tea: Darjeeling sweetened with honey.
Ingredients
- 160 ml milk
- 1 Darjeeling teabag (or 1 tsp loose-leaf tea)
- 15 g honey
- 300 g self-raising flour
- 75 g butter, cold and cubed
- 25 g caster sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- clotted cream and strawberry jam, to serve
Instructions
Place the teabag (or loose-leaf tea) into a small saucepan and pour over the milk. Heat gently, until the mixture is steaming, then turn off the heat and leave the tea to steep for 30 minutes. Remove the teabag or strain the milk into a small jug, then add the honey and mix well.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Place the flour into a large bowl and add the cubes of butter. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until it is well combined and roughly resembles breadcrumbs – it is okay to be able to see a few small pieces of butter as this will create a flaky texture.
Gradually pour the infused milk and honey mixture into the centre of the well, stirring using a round bladed knife. A soft, rough dough should form. You may need to add a little more milk to mop up any excess flour. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly to smooth out the dough and bring it together into a ball.
Gently roll the dough out to a thickness of around 3cm. Reroll the remaining dough, taking care not to handle the dough too much, and punch out more scones – you should get 10 in total.
Use a pair of scissors to snip small triangles in the top of the dough from the outside in, and press them upwards to form a crown-like ring around the scone. You need to push the scissors slightly into the scone to create a point that stands proud.
Chill the scones for 1 hour to firm up (if you skip this, they won't hold their shape). Arrange the scones on a baking tray, then brush the tops and crown points with a little egg wash.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until risen and golden brown. Serve warm from the oven, split in two, with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
Notes
You can leave out the tea entirely if it isn't to your taste, and just try out the fun decoration. Make sure you chill the dough for at least an hour, or you'll find the points will droop in the oven (still delicious, but not as regal!).
ALSO SEE: Spinach and feta quiche
Recipe and photo by Martha Collison from World’s Table.
