Easter Baking Ideas: Scone Recipes from Claire Ptak

As an occasion that revolves around seeking out as many chocolate eggs as possible, it’s impossible not to associate Easter with indulgence and all things delicious. If you’re hosting a bank holiday feast this year – or even attending one – why not up your game and try out these scone recipes? Created by Claire Ptak, the founder of East London bakery-café Violet Cakes (who is “obsessed with scones”), they’re guaranteed a compliment to the chef.

“The dough is crumbly and dry when you are shaping it but as it bakes the butter melts into the layers, making the scones flaky and rich,” says Ptak of these savoury scones. They’re the perfect accompaniment to a soup or salad at lunch or make a useful grab-and-go snack if you’re planning on being out and about over Easter.

Ingredients for 12 scones:

400g plain flour, plus more for rolling

1 tbsp caster sugar

2.5 tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

30g finely chopped chives

180g unsalted butter

1 egg, plus extra for egg wash

200g sour cream or crème fraiche

200g feta cheese, chopped into large chunks

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C (fan). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, weigh out the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and black pepper. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or the back of a fork (or use a mixer) until you have a crumbly mixture. Add the egg, sour cream, and chives. Mix the ingredients together quickly then add the feta pieces and mix again until just combined, then pat into a cube and place on a lightly floured surface.

3. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then flatten it to about 2.5cm thick with a rolling pin. Fold it in half as if you were closing a book so that you have a rectangle. Then fold it in half again so that you have a small square. Wrap the dough in cling film and put in the fridge to rest for 10 minutes. When it’s chilled, roll the dough into a square about 5cm thick. Use a sharp knife to cut the square into three long pieces. Cut each log into two and then each square into triangles. Freeze or bake straight away.

4. Place the chilled scones on the lined baking tray and brush with egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. These are best eaten on the same day they are made. You can also make the scones, freeze them individually and bake as and when you need them. They will keep well for a month in the freezer.

Violet Cakes makes the accompaniments to their scones with quickly roasted seasonal fruit; at Easter it’s the end of the forced rhubarb from Yorkshire which makes for a perfectly tart but sweet compote. “Combined with the thickest clotted cream, these scones always impress people,” says Ptak.

Ingredients for 12 scones:

700g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

100g caster sugar

½ tsp fine sea salt

200g unsalted butter

600ml double cream

1 egg and a sprinkle of caster sugar, for egg wash

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C (fan). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of your food mixer, weigh out flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix until combined. Dice the cold butter into even small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Mix on a low speed until the mixture is rough and crumbly. Slowly pour in cream while the mixer is running and continue to mix until the dough just comes together.

3. Tip the dough out onto a clean surface and leave for 5 minutes or so to let the raising agents become active, then fold the dough in half once. Flatten and roll out the dough to about 1 and a half inches in height then cut out scone shapes with a lightly floured round cutter.

4. Place the chilled scones on the lined baking tray and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle the tops with a little caster sugar and bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes until golden. These are best eaten on the same day they are made. You can also make the dough, freeze it and bake as and when you need them. They will keep well for a month in the freezer.

Ingredients for the rhubarb compote:

500g rhubarb, washed

Juice and zest of 1 orange

75g caster sugar

½ vanilla pod

Plus, 500g thick clotted cream to finish

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C (fan).

2. Trim the ends of the rhubarb and cut into 1cmx4cm strips and place in a single layer in a non-reactive baking dish. Make sure that all the rhubarb is the same size in thickness, or they will cook at different rates. In a bowl, combine the sugar and scraped vanilla seeds and sprinkle the vanilla sugar over the rhubarb. Cover the rhubarb in the orange zest and juice. Cover the tray with foil and roast for 15-20 minutes, then remove foil and roast for a further 5-10 minutes, until tender but still holding its shape.

3. Once the scones have cooled, slice each in half then layer on your rhurbarb compote and clotted cream.