Yahoo News Mary Berry's six-ingredient scone recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to make
When it's the middle of the afternoon and you're in need of a sweet treat in order to perk yourself up, there's not much that beats a scone laden with butter and jam.
These light and fluffy cakes, often best paired with a cup of tea, have been a subject of controversy for years, especially when it comes to the fillings and what order you put them on.
However, everyone can agree that they are delicious - and Mary Berry's recipe, which only requires a handful of ingredients, is said to be 'perfect' for whipping up some teatime treats.
The baking icon shared her scone recipe on Mary Berry's Fantastic Feasts on the BBC, and it's been described as the 'perfect easy tea-time treat'.
It's ideal if you have friends or family coming over, as the recipe should make 16 scones in total. They should keep for around a couple of days in an airtight container, but if they taste a little stale, simply warm them up with the oven on low for a few minutes.
The recipe also takes under 30 minutes to prepare. Before you start, you'll need a fluted 5cm/2in cutter to create the scone's shapes, and you'll also need to preheat your oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 and lightly grease two baking trays.
Mary Berry's scones
Ingredients
450g/1lb self-raising flour
2 level tsp baking powder
50g/1¾oz caster sugar
100g/3½oz butter, softened, cut into pieces
2 free-range eggs
a little milk
handful sultanas (optional)
To serve
strawberry jam
clotted cream
Method
Put the flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
Crack the eggs into a measuring jug, then pour in some milk until the total liquid is measured at 300ml. Stir the egg and milk into the flour and mix to a soft, sticky dough. You might not need to add all of it.
Put the mixture on to a surface that's been lightly sprinkled with flour. Knead lightly and add in the sultanas if you're using them, then roll out to a rectangle about 2cm/¾in thick.
Cut into as many rounds as possible with a fluted 5cm/2in cutter and place them on the baking trays. Brush the tops of the scones with some milk, or any egg and milk left in the jug.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the scones are well risen and a pale, golden-brown colour. Lift onto a wire rack to cool.
To serve, cut the scones in half and top with strawberry jam on the plain scones along with some clotted cream.
The scones can be frozen once they've cooled down - just defrost them at room temperature and reheat in the oven for 10 minutes when you're ready to eat them.
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