I’m not gonna lie, this past weekend, my baking game was NOT on. The weather was hot, the first mix was a total disaster and ended up in the bin before I’d even baked it. Safe to say I was not the picture of happy, relaxed baking-ness. These scones on the other hand came out with the sunniest Summer colours and cheered me right up!
Sometimes things don’t go the way we plan, and I totally realise that baking not working out is really not a big deal in life. It’s just that this past weekend left me with a bit of a despondent feeling. Do you ever get those days where everything you do just seems to go wrong? I wanted to share with you some things that really helped me this weekend, in hopes that they can help you too on those inevitable down days!
1. Sometimes it’s ok to just stop. This doesn’t mean give up, because part of success is realising that the path to get there has ups and downs and we must get through them all. But sometimes, if you are just going and going at something and it isn’t working out, just walk away for that day. Don’t carry on trying to photograph that salad that just WON’T LOOK GOOD, no matter how hard you try. Put it down, come back refreshed after a break.
2. Research! Instead of continuing with what I was doing before, I decided to spend some time researching new photography techniques. This is a long term goal for me, to improve on photography and it was great to take some time to learn about white balance modes, metering etc, and it meant that when I came back to my task, I could do an even better job than I did before. Make sure you take the time to develop yourself and work on your long term goals. It’s easy to get distracted by your short term tasks, but developing something long term is very important and very rewarding.
3. Give yourself a break! You’re awesome, we all have off days, it happens. Don’t beat yourself up when something goes wrong. Do something nice for yourself and take a break :)
Anyways… back to scones!! And Nectarines, because nectarines. I distincly remember being a kid and eating 5 nectarines in one go. There is something about the perfectly ripe and juicy nectarine which strips me of all self control. The worst (or maybe the best?) part is because it’s fruit, I don’t even feel guilty afterwards!
Scones in themselves are pretty dry, and normally need to be slathered in cream and jam, and of course enjoyed with a steaming hot cup of tea. So I wanted to add in some wet ingredients which would add enough moisture and flavour to take the humble scone from a nice base, to a complete piece in itself. The blueberries burst in the oven, their juices tinting the surrounding dough a shade of deep purple, providing pockets of moisture, and the layer of nectarines ensure that every single bite packs a tropical punch which will leave you salivating for the next bite! On top of all that, they are probably the prettiest, most colourful scones I have ever seen. After a shoddy weekend of baking, I was so happy when these little guys came out of the oven to cheer me up!
These scones would be perfect if you are having some people over for a summer afternoon, or you want to bake something that isn’t a cake and takes full advantage of the seasonal Summer fruits available right now.
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Summer Blueberry and Nectarine Scones
Ingredients
225g All Purpose Flour
2 and 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
50g Cold Butter (chopped into squares)
25g Caster Sugar
100ml Milk
1/2 Cup Blueberries
2 Nectarines (sliced into thin wedges)
Steps
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
1. . Add the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until you have a fine breadcrumb like mixture. Add the sugar and blueberries and stir so they are evenly distributed.
2. Add the milk and use your hands to bring the dough together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick. Lay nectarine slices over half of the rectangle, then fold the other half of the dough over to cover the nectarines. Cut into 3 equal pieces, then cut each of those in half diagonally.
3. Place the 6 triangles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the top of each one with a little milk and sprinkle a little caster sugar on top and bake for 12-15 minutes until the tops are just golden brown.
4. Let cool fully on a cooling rack then enjoy!
Note: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Because of the fresh fruit these are best enjoyed on the day of baking.
