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Sekai Gohan
Puftaloons: Australian Pan-Fried Scones with Jam and Cream
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Self-raising flour | 2 cups (300 g) | Body and rise; the leavening is already in the flour |
| Salt | ½ tsp | Seasons the dough |
| Milk | 1 cup (250 ml) | Brings the dough together and keeps the crumb soft |
| Butter, for frying | 2 oz (60 g) | Browns the outside; use a third for each batch |
| Thickened cream | 1¼ cups (300 ml) | Whipped to soft peaks to serve |
| Strawberry jam | as needed | Served alongside |
Steps
1Mix the dough only until it comes together
Put the self-raising flour and salt in a bowl and stir them together. Pour in the milk and mix with a spatula using a few broad folds. Stop while the dough still looks rough and shaggy, with a few dry streaks. Stirring past this point makes puftaloons tough and stops them puffing. Stop when it holds together in loose clumps and is still not smooth.
Undermix, then stopThe dough comes together as you shape it in the next step. If it looks almost too rough in the bowl, it is right. A smooth ball means it was mixed too much.
2Pat it into a rectangle
Dust the board lightly with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Gather it with your hands and pat it gently into a flat rectangle. You do not need a rolling pin, and pressing hard makes the crumb dense. Even out the edges so the whole piece is the same height. It is ready when the rectangle is an even ⅝ inch (1.5 cm) thick all over.
3Cut the rounds and recut the scraps
Press the 3-inch (8 cm) cutter straight down through the dough and lift it out. Cut the rounds close together to leave as few scraps as possible. Press the scraps together lightly, pat them back to the same thickness and cut again. Lay the rounds on the floured board while you heat the pan. You are done when all the dough has been cut into flat, even rounds.
Press straight, don't twistPush the cutter straight down and lift it straight up. Twisting pinches the edges shut and makes the rounds rise unevenly. Handle the second-cut rounds just as lightly as the first.
4Melt the butter and cook the first side
Set the large non-stick pan over low heat and add a third of the butter. Let it melt until it foams gently. Place 3 to 4 rounds in the pan with space between them. Cook for about 3 minutes and do not move them. The butter should bubble softly around the bases while the tops stay pale. When you lift an edge, the underside should be golden brown.
Hot butterKeep the heat low so the butter foams but never smokes. Place the rounds away from you so any spatter goes the other way.
5Turn and cook the remaining batches
Turn each round with a flat spatula and cook the second side for about 3 minutes. Move the finished puftaloons to a plate. Add another third of the butter, let it melt, then cook the next rounds the same way. Repeat until all the dough is cooked. Each puftaloon is done when both faces are golden brown and it has puffed a little.
6Whip the cream and serve
Pour the cream into a bowl and whisk it. Watch the cream as it thickens and lift the whisk now and then. Stop as soon as a peak holds its shape but the tip folds gently over. Put the cream on the table with the strawberry jam and the warm puftaloons. The cream is ready when the soft peaks fold over and do not stand stiff.