These scones originate from Australia – sometimes called 3 ingredient scones or Lemonade scones.  Give them a try.

Cooks Know How: I tried these scones with trepidation wondering just what they would be like.  They were good, actually very good.  So, let’s think about those ingredients and compare with the original recipe for English scones.  Why did this recipe work?  Well, the S. R flour has its role, it has been pre-sieved with raising agents by a manufacturer so the distribution of raising agent is guaranteed.  The raising agents are sodium hydrogen carbonate, disodium diphosphate and monocalcium phosphate. Salts of sodium and calcium that act in the same way as bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar.  These salts will combine and produce a gas, carbon dioxide with moisture from the dough during cooking.  The fizzy lemonade also adds a little carbon dioxide and water that will turn to steam during baking in the hot oven.  Lemonade also contains acids such as citric acid that will boost the gas production in the scone mix.  Now, about the dough, why is butter or margarine not rubbed into the flour as per English scones?  Perhaps the temperatures in Australia make rubbing-in a difficult task at times.  Knowing about double cream, they call it heavy cream, means we know that it will contain 48% fat, its just that we don’t see it as solid yellow fat.  Adding cream therefore adds the fat, needed to help the scone dough texture.   During the baking process the fat will be absorbed by the starch in the flour.  The starches will gelatinise and become digestible.  Finally, what about the gluten in the flour?  When a dough is kneaded, dough meaning a flour and liquid combination, gluten is formed from glutenin and gliadin in the wheat.  Gluten can be developed by kneading.  The secret in this recipe is perhaps in the ‘very light touch’ used when preparing the scones.  Mixing is rapid – simply enough to combine the ingredients, not like breadmaking.  The whole dough is lightly kneaded on the table top, nothing heavy handed so the gluten is enough to hold the scones from a wheat flour containing about 9% protein as in S.R. Flour.  The dough does not require rolling out, just patting it level with your hands is enough.  Its light and puffy even in the time it takes to make the scone dough.  Cutting out the scones using a scone cutter forms small portions of dough with cut edges that should rise rapidly once in the oven. Glazing the tops, must just be the tops as nothing wants to limit the way the dough puffs up rapidly on cooking.  Bake and serve warm with a preserve of your choice.