While I plot my next travel plans, I thought I'd share a recipe with you folks; also since it's been a while since I posted a recipe! Not that I haven't been busy in the kitchen, which you would know if you follow me on Instagram :)
The impetus for this recipe came in the form of a box full of goodies from Fairtrade India - some green tea, basmati rice and two types of sugar (icing sugar and caster sugar). When I saw the sugar packets I realised how long it was since I had baked anything, so last weekend was devoted to making batches of coconut scones.
Before I move to the recipe, a quick word about Fairtrade. It's a way of offering farmers and food producers a better deal - better price, decent working conditions and an opportunity to invest into their futures. Fairtrade is all about giving the farmer a better price than he would get selling to a middleman. This means increased revenue for the farmers and a way to reduce poverty and dependence on loans. Fairtrade standards are an international set of ideals that govern trading relationships and seek to correct the imbalance of power in them. When you buy Fairtrade you are assured that your money is going towards giving farmers and producers a better deal and a better quality of life, not to mention that you're supporting a sustainable way of production. You can buy Fairtrade products online and at select shops across the country. Look for this logo -->
For my weekend baking project I chose to make scones, because I love the idea of cream tea (and I have pigged out on it when I had visited England a few years ago!). I have posted a recipe for scones earlier, though this time I decided to experiment by adding a bit of coconut to it. The heavenly smell of coconut getting slowly roasted in the oven filled my kitchen this past weekend, and I cannot wait to bake another batch soon :)
Coconut Scones
This recipe makes 9 scones (yes, it's that precise!).
You'll need:
- 1 cup all-purpose Flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking powder
- 3 tbsp Caster sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 cup Coconut (desiccated)
- 1.5 tbsp cold Butter (I use salted butter)
- 1/4 cup Milk
- Pinch of Salt
- Extra milk for brushing and some sugar for sprinkling on top
How to:
- Preheat oven to 190°C
- Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
- Add coconut and mix well
- Chop the butter into cubes and mix into the dry mixture with a fork or your hand. The mixture should resemble breadcrumbs
- Beat the egg with milk separately and add this into the flour-coconut mix
- The final mixture will be slightly sticky. With a spoon or your hand scoop out enough mixture to make a medium-sized biscuit
- Place the individual scones on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Make sure to leave some space between the scones, as they will expand a bit
- Brush each scone with some milk and sprinkle sugar on top
- Bake at 190°C for 20 minutes or till the scones are done in the middle
- Cool slightly and serve immediately with jam & cream (clotted cream if you can get it), along with some tea (or coffee, if you prefer)
So try out this recipe & let me know how it works out for you. I plan to bake another batch sometime this week, so let's have a bake-along!