Today we are going to make authentic English currant scones, but first, let me take you on a little journey across the Pond to set this up!
In England, currants are used in currant jelly for their Sunday roasts, as well as in scones. In Germany, they are used in fruit soups, summer puddings, tarts and tortes.
This spring, we had an abundance of red currants on our two bushes, and thinking back to our time in England, we knew they were just the thing to bake into the scones!
On a chilly day in September of 2010 our family was caught outside the walled city of York during a little rainstorm. Huddling under our jackets and pulling our scarves closer about our necks didn’t do a mite to keep out that pesky dampness.
We were into the afternoon and still had a drive that night, but we weren’t going to allow pesky rain to spoil our time in this magical place of lords and ladies. We strolled, umbrellas in hand, inspecting the wall and turrets – one tower even originated from Roman times.
We wandered through the York Minster, little shops, bookstores, clothing stores, and even considered eating a very late lunch in a catholic church-turned-cafe. But, since we arrived just as they were cleaning up for the day, we stood a moment in the ancient alcove chatting happily with the manager of the establishment.
We could have described ourselves as ‘wet rats’, reminding us of Kenneth Grahame’s “Ratty”, a water rat, from The Wind in the Willows.
We trekked onward and shortly came across Little Betty’s Cafe, a delightful, smelling-of-cocoa, cozy, three-story restaurant and tea establishment.
From chocolates, nuts, baked goods, and of course teas, Little Betty’s had it all!
In the upstairs tea room, we ordered a family-sized cream tea which consisted of a scone per person, Devonshire clotted-cream, an assortment of jams, and as many cups of tea as we desired.
Before we went to England, we thought that scone was pronounced so as to rhyme with tone, but a friend living in England at the time kindly informed us that it was pronounced so as to rhyme with gone.
This difference in pronunciation is made obvious by the following little ditty:
“I asked the maid in dulcet tone
To order me a buttered scone
The silly girl has been and gone
And ordered me a buttered scone.”
While we don’t know conclusively that our scones in York were made with currants, we do think so – large burgundy ones. Warm from the oven, we felt sufficiently refreshed to renew our adventures.
So, now that we have a little background, I will teach you how to make scones the British way.
(If you have ingredients such as self raising flour and caster sugar and a metric system of measurement, please use this recipe.)
Authentic Currant Scones Recipe
Ingredients:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar (if you experiment, I’m pretty sure honey will work)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup currants (you can sub raisins or any other suitable fruit)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar.
With a pastry blender, fingers, or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Stir in currants or raisins. Make a well in center; add buttermilk and egg, and stir just until combined (do not overwork).
Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface; knead 5 or 6 times. Do not over-knead.
Pat into an 8-inch disk. With a floured 2 1/4-inch biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. Re-roll and cut scraps until all batter is used.
Transfer to baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Brush rounds with milk; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar, if desired.
Bake until scones are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 scones. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be frozen and later reheated once thawed.
“When porridge doth boil and scald,
And beans are old and droll,
When haggis doth make thee galled,
And cold eggs sit in thy bowl,
When toast is stale and very auld,
With bacon burnt as coal,
Take to thyself a piping stack of currant scones.” ~Daughter Rebecca
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JES
Ahhh… Thank you for the stroll through England. What a nice reprieve! I was excited to see “Ratty” there as well! He is often a subject of conversation in our home as we attempt to speak in British accents and consider anyone clever a “Ratty” (such amusements!). Who can pack a better picnic? The scones look delicious and it will be SO hard to call them by their proper way!!! Thank you for the lovely and peaceful post, Rebecca 🙂
Kate @ Teaching What Is Good
Oh Jacqueline…I’m excited for this recipe. This past summer I went to an English Tea Room in Albuquerque (while there on a family vacation) and I’ve been plotting a Tea Event with my daughter’s friends.
This is a great recipe to add to my collection of what to serve. YUM! And your pictures are just gorgeous. Thanks, dear!
Jacqueline
Kate,
I love the sounds of your a Tea Event…I have a feeling you area wonderful hostess!! These were so much fun to make…and eat! Let us know how they turn out :~)
Sheri
What a nice post! This reminds me of the days we’ve taken scones together, and now I’m longing for another England visit too. (*happy sigh*) Thank you!
Sheri
The rhyme at the end sounds almost singable. Do you have a tune for it?
Jessica
Rebecca,
What a beautiful post. I felt almost as though I were taking tea and scones at Little Bettys cafe, too! I am grateful I had the opportunity to try a little taste of England when I had one of your currant scones a few weeks ago!
Pamela
This brought back so many memories. My Grammy had current bushes and I loved picking the berries when I visited. And oh…the sweet yet tart jelly is still one of my favorites! The scones look delicious.
Sara Shay @ YourThrivingFamily
Your cream tea picture makes me LOOOONG for England. When it isn’t so hot I’ll be adding this to all the scone recipes I’ve tried – maybe it’ll be the winner!
Carole
Lovely berry dish. Berries and currants are this week’s subject for Food on Friday. Would you be happy to link this in? We are looking to create a fantastic collection of berry dishes. This is the link .
Esther
where can I get currants at in San Diego? do they sell them dried and if they do will they work with this recipe? I really want to make them but not seen fresh currants here anywhere? thanks!
Jacqueline
Hi, Esther,
I wish I could tell you~ we live in the Midwest! I have found them occasionally at Whole Foods, but they are a seasonal fruit. We planted some currant bushes, and they produce in late May and June.
You could substitute blueberries, bits of cherries, date pieces, raisins, or just about any berry.
I hope you find them!!
Blessings,
Jacqueline
carol
Currants in england are Raisins..maybe this will help people who cant buy currants.
Victoria
These look delicious. I have two large black currant bushes in my herb garden and I make currant jelly every summer. I am going to give this recipe a try, and am wondering if it will work with dried currants? All my extras after jelly, I dried and used some for my dark fruit cake at Christmas. Still have plenty to make up a few recipes of scones. Very exciting!
Jacqueline
Hi! Victoria, if you use dried, you may want to add a tsp. +/- of extra water at the end. If you’ve made scones before, you will just know by the texture.
Good luck, and how nice that you have them ready to go!! Cheerio!
Victoria
Here I am a year or so later and this is by far my favorite scone recipe. This morning I’ve made up a batch for my husband using huckleberries instead of currants and a bit of lemon zest. They are absolutely wonderful!