Jembella Farm: Soda Water Scones

Monday, 15 June 2015

Soda Water Scones

Yesterday was such a busy day here as is usual on most Sundays. The weekends are when we can both get lots of jobs done.
I was half expecting people to drop in for afternoon tea so I whipped up a batch of scones to be at the ready, just in case.
My scones used to be very hit and miss, usually turning out perfectly when there was just us and no one to impress, but just as soon as I was trying to make the perfect scones for guests, well.... you can guess the rest.
I found a perfect recipe that is easy and turns out impressive scones that the harshest critics could not fault. I guess Lemonade scones are no surprise to most of you, but my adaptation of them is now a winner here.
We found them a bit too sweet so I use soda water instead of the lemonade. We never have lemonade sitting around in our cupboards, never drink the stuff, but we do always have soda water on hand.

Soda Water Scones

3 cups SR Flour (or plain flour with Baking Powder added)
1 teaspoon castor sugar
1 cup of cream (a good opportunity to use up that cream that's getting a bit old)
pinch of salt
1 cup soda water
Mix with a knife until the mixture comes together. It may be necessary to add a small bit of milk if the mixture is too dry.
It's important not to over work scones. Just bring it all together, tip onto a lightly floured surface and press out with a "light hand" as my mum would say, to a thickness of approximately 2 cm or 1 inch.
I believe it's best not to use a rolling pin which can overwork the mixture.
Cut out with a scone cutter or a glass dipped in flour after each cut. Place close together on a baking tray, brush the tops with milk and bake in a hot oven - 200deg - for approx 15 mins or until golden brown and well risen.

Or cut with a knife & spread slightly apart on the baking tray. The latter seems to be the new trend, but who of us is trying to keep up with a trend? Handy to know though when a scone cutter is not available when staying with friends who don't cook or away on holiday in the caravan and the craving for scones is impossible to ignore.

Enjoyed for morning tea with peach jam and Daisy's fresh cream.

I packed the remaining scones, six to a bag, and put in the freezer. They reheat very well.
A few seconds in the microwave and then approximately 5 minutes in a hot oven.
Lucky me, I have the wood oven burning at all times at the ready.

3 comments:

Sue26 November 2015 at 23:06
I've never tried scones with soda water, I'll give it a go for sure. Like you I think lemonade,which we rarely have in the house anyway, would be too sweet.
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Unknown1 December 2015 at 07:35
What a great idea using soda water instead of lemonade to the scone mixture. Will need to try this....thank you for the suggestion!
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Unknown1 December 2015 at 07:36
What a great idea using soda water instead of lemonade to the scone mixture. Will need to try this....thank you for the suggestion!
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About Us

Whether you're living in an apartment, in a house in the suburbs or on acres, you can live frugally and sustainably. There are many things you can do to save money, eat ethically and healthily, reduce waste and live an enriched life.
We are Sally and Brian and we live in the Barossa Valley (South Australia) in a 100 year old house on sixteen acres with 2 dogs, 7 cows, 2 alpacas, 5 geese, 35 chickens, 78 sheep and a few bee hives.
Our way of life takes team work and dedication, but over the years we've learned to be more productive without seeming to put in quite so much effort. We've learned through making mistakes and taking a different approach to what the conventional ways would be. Still learning every day and constantly researching old and new methods, we believe that our lives are greatly enriched, we are healthier and we couldn't imagine any other way of life.
Considered to be living The Good Life, people love to visit us on our small farm to learn about our simple living philosophy.

Why do we do it?
Our love of good food, concern for our health and respect for all animals. The further we got into living on the land the more aware we became that most of the standard practices of growing food were not satisfactory. We couldn't eat with a clear conscience.
Milk from sad cows, pasteurized and homogenized into white liquid. Meat from distressed, hormone and antibiotic pumped livestock. Vegetables and fruits grown and sprayed with chemicals. What to do? Grow our own!
Slowly we grew our knowledge and took one step at a time, becoming proficient in one skill before moving on to the next. The learning curves were steep. We fell over and got back up again. There has been some derision and criticism of our approach from a few, but that's life when you swim against the tide.
If we are not the "norm" then so be it. There is nothing "normal" about growth hormones fed to beef, anti-biotics and chemicals fed routinely to chickens, cruelty and disrespect for farmed animals, meals in a box, GM foods, strawberries and tomatoes in winter.
Thankfully the World is waking up to cleaner and more ethical food. We didn't know back then that Organics and Bio-dynamics would become the "new black". The tide is turning and our swimming is becoming easier.