A sourdough starter normally takes 7 days to prepare, but we’ve made the process quicker and easier using instant yeast.
CLASSIC GIN & TONIC
Makes 2 EASY 5 mins
What you need
ice cubes
60ml (¼ cup) Tanqueray N0 Ten gin
120ml tonic water
freshly cut grapefruit slices, to serve
How to do it
In each of two gin glasses filled with ice, place 2 tbsp/1 pony tot measure Tanqueray N0 Ten.
Top up each glass with 60ml (¼ cup) tonic water, add the grapefruit slices and serve with the sourdough scones.
Mini sourdough scones with vintage cheddar, red onion chutney and a classic gin & tonic
Ingredients
EASY SOURDOUGH STARTER
- 500g cake flour
- 580ml (2⅓ cups) water
- 1 x 10g sachet instant yeast
CHUTNEY
- 500g red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 whole star anise, ground in a pestle and mortar
- 60ml red wine vinegar
- 100g white sugar
- 250ml (1 cup) water
- 250g apples, cored and grated
- 250g sultanas
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 x 30g tub fresh coriander, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
SCONES
- 400g self-raising flour + extra, to dust
- 100g butter, chilled and cubed
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 250g sourdough starter (see below)
- 90ml milk
- zest of 2 oranges
- 2 eggs
- 400g vintage Cheddar, broken into small chunks
- handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- handful fresh microherbs
- classic gin & tonic, to serve (see recipe below)
Instructions
For the sourdough starter, place the 500g cake flour, 580ml (2⅓ cups) water and instant yeast in a large glass bowl. Mix together to form a smooth paste, cover the bowl lightly with a clean tea towel and place in a warm place to ferment for 2 days. After this, the starter should be bubbly, slightly sour-smelling and ready to use.
To make the chutney, place the sliced onion, ground star anise, red wine vinegar, 100g sugar and water in a large pot placed over low heat. Simmer very gently for 1 hour before adding the freshly grated apple and sultanas. Continue to simmer very gently over low heat for a further hour, while stirring occasionally to keep the chutney from burning, until you have a thick texture. Stir in the lemon juice and chopped coriander. Season the chutney generously before setting aside to cool completely.
For the scones, preheat the oven to 180°C and line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Place the 400g self-raising flour, butter and ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter and flour together to form a crumb-like consistency, then add the 2 tbsp sugar and mix it in quickly.
In a separate bowl, mix the sourdough starter with the milk and orange zest, then add this to the butter and flour mixture. Using a metal spoon or spatula, quickly bring the wet and dry ingredients together without overmixing – don’t worry if the mixture is slightly lumpy, as the less you mix it, the lighter and fluffier your scones will be.
Form the dough into a rough ball and transfer it to a well-floured work surface. Roll it out to 3cm thickness. Using a small, fluted cutter of about 4cm diameter, cut out your scones. Gather the leftover dough and gently reroll it to cut out more scones until all the dough has been used.
Place the scones on the lined baking trays. Beat the eggs and brush the tops of the scones with egg wash before placing in the preheated oven. Bake until golden brown, 12 – 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. When the scones are cool enough to handle, slice them in half and place a teaspoon of chutney, a few small chunks of vintage Cheddar, a few chopped coriander leaves and microherbs on the base halves. Top the scones with their lids and serve immediately with classic gin & tonic.
ALSO SEE: Avocado and feta on sourdough toast
Recipe and styling by Robyn Timson Moss
Photograph by Dylan Swart
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
