disasterous scones that look like rock buns - WHY?

[ErnestTheBavarian]

No matter what I do, my scones are always like bloody rock buns, whey are not light and they don't rise.

I can't get SR flour, so have to use plain with baking powder.
Apart from that, what am I doing wrong? I am careful not to over handle,.

Have tried a couple of different recipes, and end result is the same. Just baked loads for Kindergarten etc Christmas party. Feel like a British failure

Are you rolling them too thin?
Nice hot oven?

I use plain with baking pwder if I run out of SR too. Is baking powder still in date?

Too wet a mix?

Too dry a mix?

don't think too wet, maybe, def not too dry. actually, I made cheese ones and fruit yesterday, and the cheese ones look better than the fruit ( I doubt I'll even get away with cutting the fruit ones in half ) but don't know what was different, other than the cheese/raisins.

How hot do you have your oven?

It might be the oven actually, I hate this stupid machine I've got.

Baking powder in date (use loads as never can get sr flour), how much do you use to bring it up to sr level? Should I use baking soda too, or just baking powder?

Damned briquets. The shame.

You need a lot of baking powder - like 4 good teaspoons for 8oz of flour - and both flour and powder should be as fresh as possible. Do the mixing as fast as you can, oven hot (equivalent to gas 7 or 8) and roll the dough so it's an inch thick. Cut straight down with the cutter, don't twist - or just cut up the dough into squares or triangles with a sharp knife instead.

I bet you are using Dr Oetker baking powder, the German stuff. It is not the same as British baking powder.

After much research I discovered that UK baking powder is a two rise baking powder, that is why our cakes are so much fluffier than the German flans. You need British baking powder.

I have discovered that the French sell stuff called Levure Chemique which is similar to British baking powder. I have an extra packet here if you want me to send you some so you can try it out.

I have oven at 200. It is a fan oven too, so mega hot.

shitey shitey shite shite. out of bloody eggs now. grrr.

ah, ml, defectice german baking powder. Why did I not know this? You're right, I've got dr o. SO, next time there's a visit, I need to request 20 packets of baking powder. sigh.

thanks for offer, should I try and do a comparison?

My shitey crap oven is the devil's work, and will be lamed no metter what. I was invented by morons and bought by idiots, inspired by satan himself.

So, not a fan of the oven then?

WHy do you need eggs? I don't use eggs in scones. Just the flour, milk, butter, sugar, fruit.

Incompetence

I use egg in scones....

Don't over mix!

I use Delia's recipe and it is foolproof.

arf at Hully

I don't use eggs either. I started a scones thread once, think it was one of my most popular threads. Brings out the competitiveness in MNetters.

I was told not to overknead, use lots of baking powder and bung in some cream of tartar.

Can you get cream of tartar? They sell it here in the chemists for some reason. I think they do in Germany too. It is called weinstein - is used in wine making

recipes I did yesterday had no eggs, but were crap, so looked for yet another recipe - found delia's, she wants eggs, so had to jump on bike and cycle in -5 deg. & snow to butchers' to get more eggs. They are in oven as we speak.

ok, this batch the worst of the lot. will have to chuck in bin. sigh. am fed up. what do I do with 50 roc buns crap scones? Serve 'em anyway (can't even deny they're mine).

Still, my mince pies have turned out great

Oh, how annoying. Get yourself some UK baking powder, that made a huge difference to my scones.

texture better but still not risen. Any suggestions for my failures? Serve 'em anyway? or chuch, or something inventive like using in trifle (not really but along those lines...)

or bird food?

Go to the bakers. It's what they're for.

Oh you're wrong Hully, scones are one thing that don't keep at all and are a million times nicer when just made.

Ernest are you actually spending all day just baking?

I stand corrected.

But my baker sells very nice ones.

I have spent all day yesterday and today baking. Very proud of mince pies but desperately pissed off about scones, esp as made so bloody many. Can't go to bakers to get scones as they do do such novelties in these 'ere parts.

My scones are rather infamous, I have won prizes for them and they have been cosumed with great joy by a bishop.

I use Nigella's Lily scones recipe, I think the secret is lots of bicarb

The recipes is = 500g plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp bicarb, 4 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 50g cold unsalted butter, diced, 25g Trex or use 25g butter, 300ml milk, 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash. 1 baking tray, lightly greased. Sift flour, salt, bicarb & cream of tartar into a large bowl. Rub in the fats. Add the milk, mix briefly. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to form a dough. Roll out to 3cm thickness. Then cut out 10/12 scones. Place very close together on a baking tray - the idea is that they bulge and stick together, brush with egg wash. Bake at 220oc/ gas mark 7 for 10 mins! You can add 75g of sultanas or cherries

if I can bake a nice cake, why are scones proving to be so impossible. I will not be defeated.

I never made nice scones until I tried this cecipe. Nigella has revolutionised my scones and pastry.

ooh I love making scones

get some self raising flour!

8oz SR flour
2oz butter
crumb together mix in
5fl oz milk

(can add 1oz caster sugar and 1 oz sultanas for fruit scones

1oz cheese and a pinch of salt for cheesey scones

to the crumbs then add milk)

usually a bit sticky so turn onto well floured surface

don't roll too thin
brush with milk
220 deg C for 15 mins or so

yum!

Second the Lily's scones recipe, I have never had fluffier scones - someone accused me of buying them from Waitrose instead of making them myself (which I took as a compliment!)...

Cream of Tartar. Tis the way to go