Cinnamon Roll Scones - Store Cupboard Baking
Cinnamon buns are high on my list, if not at the very top, of favourite things to eat! I simply adore the soft dough, sweetly spiced filling and most of all, the buttery cream cheese frosting. However, they are very much a labour of love, and sometimes you want to satisfy those cravings a bit more intantly than a 3 hour wait-and-prove process.
I’d only ever had fairly plain scones until I ventured to Northern Ireland, where I had the best scone of my life in a little cafe in Holywood. Cinnamon rich, tender and warm from the oven, drenched in butter, it was completely heavenly and inspired me to be more creative with my scones once I got back home. You can knock up these beauties in a matter of minutes, and they are immense straight from the oven but also reheat really well in the microwave for the week to come.
Cinnamon swirl scones
Makes 9
Ingredients:
300g self raising flour
75g butter, cold and cubed
125ml milk
75g brown sugar
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
For the icing:
120g icing sugar
25g butter, melted
1-2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Place the flour into a large bowl and add the cubes of butter. Quickly rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre.
3. Pour all but 1 tbsp of the milk into the centre of the well and stir gradually using a round bladed knife. A soft, rough dough will form. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead very briefly to smooth out the dough. Overhandling the dough will make your scones tough and flat, so knead as little as possible.
4. Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl. Gently roll the dough out to a rectangle with a thickness of around 1cm. Brush with milk and spread the cinnamon sugar over the top, pressing into an even layer.
5. Roll up the dough and slice into pieces about 1 inch thick. Arrange on a baking tray and brush the tops with the remaining milk.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until risen and golden brown. Whilst the scones are baking, make the glaze by combining the icing sugar, melted butter and vanilla with enough milk to form a thick paste. Drizzle over the hot scones and enjoy!