As you can see, these aren’t delicate, pretty scones to have for “afternoon tea” – they’re chunky, tasty and very filling, ideal for a picnic, a ploughman’s lunch (or the 21^st Century equivalent) or with a bowl of soup. In terms of flavour they sit comfortably on the fence between sweet and savoury, but could be “persuaded” either way by adjusting the amount of treacle you choose to use, provided you don’t overdo it.

Makes: 8 – 12 scones, depending on the size and shape that suits you.

Time: Prep and “hands on”: about 30 minutes. Baking: about 20 minutes.

Level: Easy

Need: No special equipment needed, just basics; bowls, whisk, baking tray etcetera.

Ingredients

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
200g wholemeal flour
100g oat bran or oat meal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
25g butter, diced
1 egg
425 ml buttermilk*
1 tbsp black treacle (or 2 tbsp for a sweeter scone)

* If you don’t have buttermilk milk add 2 tsp lemon juice to 415ml milk. Stir and leave to stand for 10–15 minutes.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C / fan 200°C / 425°F /Gas 7. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

2. Put the flours, bran and salt into a large bowl. Sift in the bicarbonate of soda. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

3. In another bowl, whisk the egg with the buttermilk, then stir in the treacle and pour most of the liquid into the dry ingredients. Using one hand with your fingers held out like a claw, mix in full circles to bring the flour and liquid together, adding more liquid if necessary. The dough should be quite soft, but not too sticky.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently bring it together into a ball, without kneading it, then flatten it slightly to about 3cm (1¼in) high.

5. Cut the dough into 9 – 12 squares or into a circle which can then be subdivided as required. If you like, you can brush the tops of the scones with any leftover liquid.

N.B. I cut my circle into eight, which is quite an easy division, but the pieces were probably a bit too big. Twelve might have been better.

6. Put scones/round onto the prepared baking sheet then bake for 15–20 minutes (depending on the size of the scones). Have a look after 10 minutes. If they’re already a deep golden brown, then turn the heat down to 200°C / Fan 180 / 400°F / Gas mark 6, for the remainder of the cooking time. When cooked they should sound hollow when tapped underneath.

I hope you enjoy baking and eating these scones. For more scone recipes click here,or have a look at the rest of my site for lots of other great sweet and savoury recipes.

Here are a few of my other scones that you might like to try:

Honey and Almond

Cheddar and Parsley Scones

Saffron and Sultana

Cherry and Walnut Rustic Scones

Treacle & Fruit Scones with Bran

Later I made a slightly less inelegant version with a little more sweetness and the addition of dried fruit. The method was virtually as above except that I used a cutter and made a dozen smaller scones.