Fennel & thyme scones with hokey pokey butter
MAKES ABOUT 10 PREP TIME 25 MINUTES COOK 25 MINUTES (PLUS SETTING & COOLING)
375g (2 ½ cups) self-raising flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
30g chilled butter, chopped
310ml (1 ¼ cups) buttermilk, plus extra for brushing
WHIPPED HOKEY
POKEY BUTTER
135g caster sugar
100g glucose syrup
50g honey
12g baking soda
175g unsalted butter, softened Pinch sea salt flakes
1 To make the whipped hokey pokey butter, line an oven tray with lightly greased baking paper. Combine sugar, glucose and honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and brushing down side of pan with a wet pastry brush to remove any undissolved sugar crystals. Then cook, without stirring, for 8-10 minutes or until syrup reaches 155°C (hard-crack stage) on a sugar thermometer. You may need to tilt the pan occasionally if the liquid isn’t deep enough to allow the thermometer to register accurately.
2 Remove syrup from heat and, working quickly, whisk in baking soda (be careful, hot syrup will start to foam), then keep whisking for 3 seconds to combine. Immediately pour mixture onto prepared tray. Be careful, the mixture will be extremely hot, pour it away from you. Leave to cool, without moving the tray, for 30 minutes or until honeycomb is firm and set – this will help preserve the bubbles. When cool, break into shards and store in an airtight container.
3 Whisk butter and a pinch of salt flakes in an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Lightly crush 40g honeycomb and fold into butter, then transfer to a bowl until serving.
4 Preheat oven to 220°C. Grease a 20cm-diameter sandwich tin. Line base with baking paper. Combine flour, sugar, fennel and thyme in a bowl. Rub in butter. Stir in enough buttermilk to mix to a soft, sticky dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead lightly just until smooth.
Press dough out until 3cm thick, cutting into 5cm rounds. Press dough scraps together and repeat until all dough is used. Place scones in prepared tin, then brush with a little extra buttermilk. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Serve with hokey pokey butter and crumbled honeycomb.