The 2017 Best Patissier in the World's scone recipe. They are fluffy and crunchy thanks to a crumble that is sprinkled on top of the scone. Add to it some homemade clotted cream and some jam and you'll have the perfect teatime treat.
Preheat the oven to 170°C (340F) convection oven.
Mix together the sugar and flour and rub in the butter. Add the flaked almonds.
Form 20 g chunks (the equivalent of 1 tbsp) and bake for 6-10 minutes, depending on your oven. Remove from the oven, turn each piece over and bake for a further 6-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Pour some warm water into a bowl. Add the sultanas and let them rehydrate for about 30 min. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the baking powder, flour, sugar, trimoline (or honey) and the softened butter, using the dough hook of your standing mixer
Start mixing on a low speed, progressively pouring in the milk. Mix for 3 minutes, and then increase speed to medium and mix for a further 2 minutes.
Drain and dry the sultanas and add to the dough. Briefly mix on low speed until incorporated.
Roll out dough between 2 parchment papers to prevent dough from sticking to the rolling pin. Roll out to a thickness of 1.5cm (0.6 inches) and freeze for 15 minutes. This will chill the gluten in the flour, and make the dough rise higher and the scones flakier and softer.
Preheat the oven to 170°C (convection).
Remove the dough from the freezer and cut 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) discs out using a pastry cutter. Tap into it sharply so that it goes straight through the dough. Place into a buttered baking ring of the same width.
Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash and sprinkle with the crushed crumble.
Bake for 20 minutes in the lower part of the oven until the scones are golden brown.