According to my notebook, this was at least initially inspired by a Felicity Cloake column, though which one is lost to the sands of time.
These are great to toss together when there’s some excellent summer fruit to be enjoyed. Toss over some macerated fraises des bois and whipped cream and there’s little better.
Ingredients
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 30 g sugar
- Salt
- 8 g baking powder
- 85 g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 160 g cream
- Egg, beaten
Method
Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk them together until they’re a homogeneous mixture. Then, add the butter and rub it into the flour with clean hands. The mixture should be well-combined and sandy in texture. Add the cream and mix until the dough is just combined, minimizing gluten formation.
Roll the dough out to about 20 mm (1") thick on a lightly floured work surface. Form it into a rectangle and tightly cover it in plastic. Refrigerate it for at least an hour, up to overnight.
Preheat an oven to 200 °C (400 °F).
Trim 2-3 mm (1/8") off each of the four sides of the chilled dough to expose all the edges. Then divide the block of dough into eight equal pieces.
Place the shortcakes on a baking tray and brush them with the beaten egg. Bake them in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until they’re matte, shiny, well-risen, and the edges are just beginning to color.
Remove the shortcakes to a wire cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature before serving.