The Girdle, the Batter, and a Letter to Eisenhower

Drop scones go by several names in Scotland. Scotch pancakes, griddle cakes, girdle scones. Some folk from Orkney or the islands might use yet another variation. The name "drop scones" comes from the method itself: a thick batter dropped by the spoon onto a hot girdle, where it puffs up, sets at the edges, and waits to be flipped. It sounds simple because it is, but the results depend entirely on getting a few small details right.

The girdle is the traditional tool. A heavy, flat iron pan with no sides and an arched handle, designed to sit over an open fire or a gas ring and hold its heat evenly. Most Scottish kitchens now use a non-stick frying pan, which works perfectly well. But if you come across a proper cast iron girdle at a car boot sale or in someone's attic, hold onto it. There is a reason they have been passed down through generations.

This recipe uses the older, traditional method with plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, and cream of tartar, rather than the shortcut of self-raising flour. It is the same approach that Queen Elizabeth II used when she handwrote her drop scone recipe and posted it to President Eisenhower after his visit to Balmoral in 1959. He had been so taken with them that he asked his chef to recreate them back in Washington. The chemistry of bicarb and cream of tartar gives a slightly different lift and a finer crumb than baking powder alone, and once you have made them this way, it is hard to go back.

Getting Them Right

Batter consistency is everything. It needs to be thick enough that a spoonful dropped into the pan holds its shape rather than spreading out into a thin pool. If it runs off the spoon like cream, add a little more flour. If it sits in a stiff lump and barely moves, loosen it with a splash of milk. You are aiming for something that drops reluctantly from the spoon and settles into a neat round.

Do not over-mix. Stir until the flour is just incorporated and the batter looks smooth, then stop. Working the batter too hard develops the gluten and results in drop scones that are more rubbery than soft. A few small lumps at the start will sort themselves out. One tip worth knowing: if you make the batter the night before and leave it covered in the fridge, it thickens slightly and produces noticeably fluffier results in the morning. It takes about 30 seconds to stir back together.

Watch your heat. Too high and the outside browns before the middle has cooked through. Too low and the scones spread, go pale, and end up dense. Medium heat is right. The scones are ready to turn when bubbles have appeared across the surface and the edges look dry and set, usually about two minutes. Flip once with a palette knife, give the other side a minute, and resist the urge to press them down.

Serving and Keeping

The classic way is warm from the pan with a generous knob of butter. Raspberry jam is the traditional accompaniment, though honey works just as well. If you want to take them in a different direction, leave out the sugar and serve them with cream cheese and smoked salmon. They make decent party bites that way, small enough to eat in two mouthfuls and elegant enough not to need an apology.

They freeze well. Stack them in pairs with a sheet of baking paper between each one, wrap in foil, and they will keep for a couple of months. Straight from frozen into the toaster for a minute and they come back to life well enough. Best eaten on the day, though. There is not much that beats a plate of them still warm from the girdle on a Sunday morning.

Ingredients

• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• Pinch of fine salt
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 200ml whole milk, plus a little extra if needed
• 15g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing the pan

Method

1. Sift the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, and cream of tartar into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and caster sugar and stir briefly to combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.
2. In a jug, whisk together the beaten egg and roughly half the milk. Pour this into the well and stir from the centre outwards, gradually drawing in the flour. Once the mixture comes together into a thick paste, add the remaining milk and the melted butter. Stir until you have a smooth, thick batter. It should drop reluctantly from a spoon. If it seems too thick, add a splash more milk; if too thin, let it sit for five minutes and it will thicken slightly.
   
3. Place a heavy non-stick frying pan or cast iron girdle over a medium heat. Allow it to warm up for two to three minutes. Add a small knob of butter and swirl it around the pan. When the butter melts and the foam begins to subside, the pan is ready.
4. Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into the pan, spacing them apart to allow a little room. Cook three or four at a time depending on the size of your pan. Leave them undisturbed for about two minutes until bubbles appear across the surface of each scone and the edges look dry and set.
   
5. Flip each scone in one confident movement using a palette knife or thin spatula. Cook for a further minute to a minute and a half on the second side until golden brown. Press one gently in the centre; it should spring back cleanly. If it leaves an indent, give it another thirty seconds.
6. Transfer the cooked scones to a clean folded tea towel on a plate or wire rack and wrap them loosely. This keeps them soft and warm while you cook the remaining batches. Wipe the pan with a little extra butter between batches if it looks dry.
   
7. Serve warm with butter and your choice of jam or honey. To freeze, allow to cool completely, stack in pairs with baking paper between each one, and wrap in foil. They will keep in the freezer for up to two months. Reheat from frozen in a toaster on a low setting.