wakeman.dk

By popular demand, some short videos and more photos of the little man are now available at http://wakeman.dk/oliver .  You will need the username and password to access the files; use the clues on the page or e-mail me for the password.

Oliver Brent Wakeman is here at last.  He was born at 9:45 pm on August 7th and weighed 9 lbs, 6 oz (4.26 kg).  Oliver and his Mom and Dad are exhausted but doing well.

When there is nothing to do but wait, make some scones…

Classic scones with jam & clotted cream
MAKES 8· PREP 5 mins· COOK 10 mins

For toweringly tall scones, always pat the dough out a bit thicker than you think you should. I say pat rather than knead because scones are essentially a sweet soda bread and, like other soda breads, will become tough when over-handled. Kick-start the scones’ rise with a hot baking tray and don’t leave the dough sitting around. If you like your scones with lots of juicy fruit, stir 85g plump sultanas into the mix at the same time as the sugar.

Ingredients
350g/12oz self-raising flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
85g/30z butter, cut into cubes
3 tbsp sugar
175mL/6fl oz buttermilk (If you don’t have buttermilk, use regular milk and a squeeze of lemon juice)
1 tsp vanilla extract
beaten egg, to glaze
jam and clotted cream, to serve

1 Heat oven to 425F/220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip the flour into a large bowl with the salt and baking powder, then mix. Add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar.

2 Put the buttermilk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 secs until warm, but not hot. Add the vanilla (and lemon juice if you using regular milk), then set aside for a moment. Put a baking sheet in the oven.

3 Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife - it will seem pretty wet at first. Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it’s a little smoother. Pat into a round about 4cm deep.

4 Take a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. By this point you’ll probably need to press what’s left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four. Brush the tops with beaten egg, then carefully place onto the hot baking tray.

5 Bake for 10 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and clotted cream.

If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a low oven (about 160C/ fan 140C/gas 3) for a few mins to refresh.

PER SCONE (no jam or clotted cream) 268 kcalories, protein 6g, carbohydrate 41g fat 10g, saturated fat 6g, fibre 1g sugar 8g salt 0.95g