A twist on the traditional buns, these scones make a nice change and come together very quickly unlike their yeasted cousins. I mis-read the original recipe and used a larger cutter to stamp the rounds out with – therefore, these are not very thick but I rather liked the way they turned out.
Start by steeping the saffron – you don’t need a lot of this gorgeous spice to get a huge amount of flavour, heady perfume and colour. Also get the crosses ready – having the scone dough waiting while you do this later will not be doing it any favours! I have detailed the order of play in the instructions below.
Rub the butter into the flour – it should be a bit lumpy. You could do this step in a food processor but as it is the only time you will need to use it for this recipe, I think it is a bit of a waste of time. By the time you have got it out and set up, you can have the step done by hand. Then mix in the sugar, fruit and spices. Whisk the liquids and add to the flour mix.
Gently bring the dough together in the mixing bowl. lightly flour your surface and roll out the dough.
Stamp out the rounds and place on the prepared tray
Brush with milk, place the crosses and brush with milk again.
Glaze with the sugar syrup while they are still hot!
Not only is is Good Friday but it’s also Fiesta Friday over at Angie’s blog The Novice Gardener. Time to join the party with these scrumptious scones in hand! See ya there…
Click on the link to be taken to Angie’s wonderful blog The Novice Gardener and join the party! Mix and mingle with the the guests – who knows who you might meet! http://thenovicegardener.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/fiesta-friday-12-2/
If you blog and would like to join the party, here are the guidelines http://thenovicegardener.wordpress.com/fiesta-friday/
Hot Cross Saffron Scones
Adapted from Hot Cross Scones by Silvana Franco for Delicious Magazine
INGREDIENTS
For the crosses
- 50g flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons water
For the scones
- pinch of saffron
- 2 teaspoons just boiled water
- 225g self raising flour
- 75g room temperature butter
- 40g light brown muscovado sugar
- 75g sultanas
- 50g mixed peel
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons milk
For the glaze
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons just boiled water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F and line a baking sheet with paper.
- Crumble the saffron strands into a small glass and add 2 teaspoons of boiling water – set aside to steep.
- Make the crosses by stirring in the water into the flour and kneading until it comes together as a dough. Cover and set aside to rest.
- Place the self raising flour in a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs – you want to have some tiny lumps of butter to make the scones tender…
- Stir in the sugar, sultans, mixed peel, and nutmeg – make sure all is evenly distributed.
- Roll out the dough for the crosses and slice into enough strips to make the crosses. You should have more that you need. Put on a plate and cover.
- Lightly whisk the egg then add the milk and the saffron and whisk again.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the egg mix and with a light hand, bring it together to form a dough. Do not over mix or the scones will be tough.
- Lightly flour your work surface and tip out the dough. Lightly flour the top and pat it into an oblong shape and gently roll out – mime ended up being 2 cm thick.
- Stamp out 8 or 9 3 inch rounds – I got 6 then with the trimmings, I patted them together gently, divided into three and hand-formed 3 more scones.
- Brush the tops with a little milk and form the crosses on them and brush them with milk too.
- Place on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 – 15 minutes.
- In the meantime mix the sugar and water to make the glaze
- Once the scones are done, brush with the glaze.
- Eat warm and buttered!
Perfect for Easter morning breakfast!
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It would be and they are really very quick to make too! Happy Easter x
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These look so delish Selma :). An easy recipe makes it a must follow ! Saving it!
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Thank you Sonal! Let me know if you do make them!
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I would :)
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What a wonderful, creative variation on the HCB!
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Thank you – hope you are having a lovely Easter x
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Saffron is appearing everywhere lately – and looks and sounds delicious!
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Saffron is quite traditional at Easter…and you could make these GF quite easily x
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Wow these look so much better than the standard hot cross bun!!! Wonderful photos of the instructions, too.
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Thanks so much – they are so much quicker with a similar flavour but just not soft and squidgy like a bun. Glad you like the photos – it’s almost second nature now to shoot while I cook – almost….thanks so much for stopping by and commenting – I am off to look at your blog now :)
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You are a magician! Your posts, like your creations, are such a work of art 😍 xxx
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That’s so sweet Elaine – thank you x Hope you are all enjoying this lovely Easter weekend!
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And you honey xx
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These look great, I love the twist on the usual recipe!
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Thanks Alex – I can’t take all the credit but I have revved them up with saffron and nutmeg…
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Love the idea of these scones instead of the usual buns, Selma!
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Thanks – they are so much quicker than buns :)
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A perfect offering for this week’s Fiesta Friday Selma! The scones sound delicious and the saffron gives them such a beautiful color too.
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Thanks Nancy – they seemed like the perfect dish to bring to today’s Fiesta! Thanks for co-hosting – I do hope all us revellers aren’t tiring you out too much with all our antics!!! Happy Easter :)
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It’s my pleasure to co-host. With all of the wonderful offerings, like these scones, I don’t see how I could tire. I’m having way too much fun!
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Hi Selma, these are a lovely take on scones. They are the perfect blend of sweet and savory and have such a nice color from the saffron. Have I told you how much I enjoy your step-by-step photos? Well, I do! Thank you for posting them, and this recipe! Happy Friday!
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Nagan – such lovely comments *blushes*. Thank you for co-hosting Fiesta Good Friday – you and Nancy are the perfect hosts – Angie will be so proud!!
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That’s so sweet — thank you, Selma! Have a lovely Friday!
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I have made hot cross scones this year, too. Hubby loved them and I had to make a second batch so there would be some for visiting daughter and boyfriend! Thanks for sharing, have a great weekend.
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Great minds!! They are so much quicker than the buns! Have a wonderful weekend too :)
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“Eat buttered and warm”…oh yes! This is going to be my favorite phrase of the week, Selma! And what a neat idea to make hot cross scones! Happy Easter, my friend! :D
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Happy Hoppy Easter to you and Bailey x
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Oh these look so good. :)
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And so easy too! Loved your lasagne btw- I am going to try adding water the next time I make it!f
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:) Thanks, Selma.
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How wonderful! Saffron in your Easter scones? This is a wonderfully creative recipe and I am so glad that you brought them to the party!
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Thanks so much – saffron at Easter is so traditional…
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They look so delicious Selma! I’d love one right now with a cup of tea… I’m saving this recipe to try very soon!
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Thanks Prudy – hope you are having a lovely Easter :) x
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These look so delectable, Selma. I love a good saffron brew! And the way you prepare the icing is so unique – and no need to buy powdered sugar. :-)
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Thanks Shanna. Hope you’ve all enjoyed the festivities and the de riguer chocolate😉
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these look so good! glad you shared hon, have a great day! :)
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Thanks so much for stopping by Ayesha. Off to check you out!!
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What a brilliant idea to have hot cross scones. The saffron really hits my hot button. All I need is one of these and a cup of tea. Better get started.
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Thanks Maureen! Love saffron and Easter is the perfect time to indulge!
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This is a great twist on hot cross buns, and I can just imagine how good the saffron smells! :-D
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Wow, another beautiful hot cross bun at Fiesta Friday – and I love your variation with the hint of saffron! Wonderful step-by-step photos and instructions, Selma, I will have to return to this when I feel up to the challenge! (I am not a very precise baker, so I need to work up to this one :))
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Thank you!! The scones are really easy so I hope you’ll give them a go!
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Thanks so much! They were very heady with saffron!
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These look simply amazing Selma! Would never have thought of adding saffron! But I am sure it must be so delicious!
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Thanks Indu. They are lovely with saffron and didn’t last long!!
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Great recipe! I’ll make these to have a snack on the go!
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Making these, definitely. Love the process, the ingredients and how they look baked. Just lovely and with the melted butter! Yum.
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When I opened the tin to fill it with the Ugly Duckling, I got a whiff of saffron and thought that I must make another batch for the weekend. This time I will pat the dough out into one big cake and slice into wedges to bake. Let me know what you think and what you have tweaked if you make them…
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