May 4th, 2014

Author: donich_admin

Grandma’s Griddle

Last time my Dad was here I made some griddle scones for his birthday. I’d never made them before and they turned out ok – but got a bit burned because the best thing I could find to cook them on was my paella pan. Although it is large and flat – not being designed for the job it is too thin and doesn’t disperse the heat enough.

But last week when tidying the shed my mother found Grandma’s old griddle. This is a formidable affair – it must weigh at least 5lbs and is solid cast iron (not stainless steel). I’ve just spent the last half an hour getting all the rust off it and oiling it so that it stays that way.

Tomorrow I will make some griddle scones and see how they turn out. I’ll have to be sure not to drop it on my foot though as it would be a sure trip to casualty.

This is my recipe for Griddle scones…

8oz self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1oz butter
3oz raisins
1/2 oz caster sugar
8 fl oz buttermilk

Sieve the flour into a bowl with the baking powder and sugar. Rub in the butter then add the raisins. Mix in the buttermilk with the blade of a knife. The dough should be soft and sticky and it is important not to handle it more than absolute minimum. Roll out on a floured board to about 3/4″ thick (no thinner) and cut into rounds with a scone cutter. Rub the griddle with some oil (or lard!) and heat until hot but not smoking. Put the scones on the griddle and cook until firm and brown, flipping with a palette knife a couple of times. Wrap in a warm damp tea towel until all are ready and then eat while hot with butter.

The really important parts are not handling the mixture (treat it like pastry and that is how it will turn out), not rolling it out too thin, and moving quickly once the buttermilk has been added (it reacts with the baking powder to act as a raising agent and if you leave the scones lying about they won’t rise). They are much lighter with buttermilk than ordinary milk – you can make it from fresh milk by gently heating it with a little lemon juice.