Scones galeses, Welsh scones, are the centrepiece of the Welsh tea house tradition of Gaiman and Trelew in Patagonia's Chubut province. When Welsh settlers arrived in 1865, they brought their afternoon tea tradition, and the scones survived as the most beloved element of the tea service. The Patagonian version is similar to the British scone but slightly richer, made with butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and milk, baked until golden and split, and served warm with butter, homemade raspberry or strawberry jam, and dulce de leche. The tea houses of Gaiman, several still run by Welsh-descended families, serve afternoon tea with towers of scones, tortas and preserves, and the ritual is a major tourist draw.
Warm, golden, split-open scones, buttery and slightly sweet, loaded with cold butter, sweet jam and dulce de leche. Eaten with a strong pot of tea in a Gaiman tea house, the taste of Welsh Patagonia.
The technique is a quick bread, baked hot. Cold butter is rubbed into flour with sugar, baking powder and salt, milk stirred in to a soft dough, and the dough patted out and cut into rounds. The rounds are baked at 220 degrees C for 12 to 15 minutes until golden and risen. The cold butter and the hot oven create the characteristic flaky, tender texture, the butter's water flashing to steam and lifting the dough. The Patagonian version is slightly richer than the British, with more butter and a touch more sugar, reflecting the local abundance of dairy. Eaten warm, split, with butter, jam and dulce de leche.
Variations
Some add raisins or dried fruit. A savoury version with cheese is made.
On the Palate
Where Scones Galeses sits in the Argentinian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
5 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
Rub 100g cold butter into 400g flour with 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Watch outKeep the butter cold as you rub it in — cold butter flashes to steam in the hot oven and lifts the scone; warm butter gives a heavy, dense crumb.
- 25 min
Stir in 200ml milk to a soft dough; pat out to 2cm thick and cut 6cm rounds.
- 36 min
Bake at 220 degrees C for 12 to 15 minutes until golden and risen.
Watch outBake hot at 220°C and don't over-handle the dough — a cool oven or too much kneading and they bake flat and tough instead of tall and tender.
- 44 min
Split warm; serve with butter, raspberry jam and dulce de leche.
- 53 min
Eat with a pot of strong tea.
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