Lemon Drizzle Scones

Toweringly tall, flaky and light, these lemony scones are the taste of Spring.  Check the video out for help with the technique but honestly, it's super easy! 

Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 450 g plain flour
• 80 g soft butter cut into cubes
• 80 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 250 ml buttermilk
• 2 tsp lemon extract
• 50 g plain flour (extra to the 450g)

To finish:

• 3 heaped tbsp icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp pearl sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C and dust a large baking tray with a light coating of flour. Clear up and clean your worktop - you're going to get your hands dirty making scones and you need plenty of space!
2. Place the 450g plain flour in a large bowl and rub in the cubes of butter until you feel it has a porridge oats like texture. Stir in the sugar, zest and baking powder. 
3. Beat the eggs, buttermilk and lemon zest together in a jug and tip about 3/4 of it into the bowl of flour. Fold and mix with a spatula to combine and drizzle in enough of the buttermilk mixture to make a soft and sticky dough. You should have a couple of tbsp mixture left - reserve this for later.
4. Tip the extra 50g flour onto the worktop and scoop out the sticky dough on top of it. Using the excess flour to coat the dough, pat it out and fold it over on itself several times. Don't knead, just fold and keep on going until it feels smooth and almost all of the flour is incorporated. 
5. Pat the dough lightly out to 4-5cm thick and using a well floured scone cutter, cut out as many scones as you like. Bare in mind they rise extremely well so unless you want monstrous scones, don't use a cutter less than 6cm across. Makes 10-12 generous sized scones. Gather up the dough scraps and carry on until it's all used up. 
6. Brush just the tops of the scones with the reserved buttermilk mixture, trying to not let it drip down the sides (helps them to rise evenly as well as brown nicely). 
7. Bake at 220˚C for 15-20 minutes, turning half way if necessary until well risen and cool on a rack for 15 minutes before icing. 
8. Simply mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice until you have the texture of double cream. Drizzle over the barely warm scones and immediately sprinkle with the pearl sugar and zest so that they have the chance to stick before the icing sets. Eat immediately! (But will keep for 2 days in a cake tin). 

Recipe Notes

Top tips! 

1. Place the scones only about 1 inch apart - they tend to grow upwards rather than outwards when placed close together on the baking tray. 
2. Keep plenty of extra flour about for dipping the scone cutter in nearby in a small bowl or cup. 
3. Pat out any remaining scraps lightly and tuck under any scones which look less tall before baking to improve their height and prevent waste!