Fig Scones

I love the way old recipes just are. Well, it can be hard if you are trying to recreate them, but from a pragmatic point of view, it's great to know that in the past, people just knew how much of an ingredient to add, rather than having a specific measure.

I was having a chat to my Great Aunt L. I love to chat to her, not least of which that it's a connection to her sister, my late Nana, who I can hear in Auntie L's voice. Both did a bit of baking, and my Aunt L was famous for her Boxing Day lunch of leftovers and her Date Scones especially. Auntie L no longer cooks but she remembers what she used to do to make her scones.

When I asked about the recipe, I was told 'You just make them the way you make regular scones but you chop the dates up really small and pour over boiling water. You add this to the self-raising flour and butter that you've rubbed in, and then cut them out and cook them.' That's the recipe. No quantities, no temps, much is expected to be known. Apparently sometimes Auntie L would add an egg. I told her I never add eggs to my scones, to which she replied that it was fine, you don't have to. She confirmed I could add milk or buttermilk, but water is all you really need.

I've made lots of scones. Tried many different recipes. I love my recipe the most naturally enough, but they all work. I've never made a dud scone. The fact that you need to under work a scone makes them especially fab for me. My Aunt even reminded me you need to be 'rough' with her recipe! It's curious to me that some people can't find a scone recipe that works. I guess there is something basic that is always going wrong for them all to fail. Is my thinking wrong? Could I follow my Auntie's 'recipe' and have it work out? I'm of the inclination currently to experiment, so I went forth and gave it a try.

Now, I know what a date is, and I know what a fig is. Why then I managed to get these fruits mixed up today I don't know. Sleep deprivation may be an excuse, but it's a feeble one. Nevertheless, this recipe had a fruit swap. This is what I gleaned from the above instructions:

Aunt L's Date Scones made with Figs

about 8 figs or enough to make 1 cup once diced
recently boiled water (it doesn't need to be boiling)
pinch salt
300g (2 metric cups) self-raising flour
15g butter, diced if cold
a little buttermilk (optional)

Preheat oven to 220C

Remove the hard stalky bit from the figs and dice them finely. Pour enough water to cover them, sprinkle over the salt and set aside.

Grease a 20cm round sandwich tin or similar with butter.

Put flour in a bowl (I never bother to sift, but you can) and add the butter. Rub the butter into the flour.

Pour the figs and water over the combined flour and butter and stir in using a bread and butter knife. If you find the mixture is too dry, add a tablespoon of buttermilk or water, be careful you don't want them too wet.

Turn out mixture onto your work surface (on a floured surface if you think your mix is quite wet) and form it into a ball. Flatten out to about 7cm high.

Using a scone cutter, cut down without twisting through the dough. Place the scone into the tin. Repeat, cutting as closely to the previous cut as you can. Reform the remaining dough, leaving it a little taller as the second batch wont rise quite as much. Place them close together, but not touching in the tin, and, if you like, brush the scones with milk.

Put the tin into the hot oven on one of the higher shelves, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until they smell and look* done.

Makes about 10-12 scones

*Scones made with water rather than a dairy product tend to appear paler, though if they are brushed with milk they will still turn golden.


A little more rough and ready in appearance than a plain scone, but I suspect that this is to be expected with a fruit version. I would usually add a couple of teaspoons of sugar, but with the figs left the sugar out. We just had these with butter, and I couldn't help feeling they had a savouriness to them that was quite delightful. Absolutely delicious.

Thanks Auntie L, next time I'll use dates to make my Date Scones!