BERRY SCONES......irresistable

I was brought up on scones and they were not just the run of the mill sort of scones.  My mother made scones that were light, fluffy, moist and golden - it is all about technique! I use to stand on the chair next to mums work bench from an early age and watch and play with odd bits of dough.  My mother would throw this in and that and a little milk or sometimes a little cream and even better if the milk is turning sour better still.  Mum would always cut the milk through wet ingredients with a bread and butter type knife and i still do the same today, actually i teach the same technique to my students.
The most important tip when making scones is too never over work (mix) them, when you are combing the ingredients you need it to be slighty sticky - but not sloppy. Remember this is not bread so you don't want to get the gluten working so be gentle!

These scones are more like a drop scone or sugar bun to look at as you simply drop large spoonfuls directly onto the tray.  With the addition of summer berries it takes your everyday scone into a delighful little treat (great with cream). 

2 cups standard flour
3 Tbsp sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top of scones
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
80 g cold butter, cubed
1 ½ cups fresh mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries)
¾ cup buttermilk, (standard milk is fine) plus a little more for to brush scones


Method
Preheat oven 200`C
In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and work in with your finger tips until a fine breadcrumb texture is formed. Or alternately you can put it in the food processor and pulse until your mixture resembles the same breadcrumb texture. Remove from food processor and put mixture into a large bowl.

What ever your method this part is the same for both, add the buttermilk and cut through the mix with a bread and butter knife. Do not over mix (that is the secret of light scones), add the berries and carefully combine, trying hard not to break up the berries to much as they will discolour the mixture.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Using a pastry brush, paint the tops of each scone lightly with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until golden brown, and nice and puffy, about 17 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack.
Serve warm with butter or whipped cream.