CWA Champion Scones with Jam & Cream
Light, fluffy scones that won blue ribbons at country shows. The Australian afternoon tea essential made to perfection.
The Story Behind This Recipe
My grandmother's CWA championship recipe - Margaret Thompson
In rural Australia, there's a culinary competition more fierce than MasterChef, more prestigious than any restaurant award: the Country Women's Association (CWA) scone competition at the annual agricultural show. My grandmother competed for forty-three consecutive years at the Armidale Show in northern New South Wales, and she won the blue ribbon seventeen times. Her scones were legendary - light as a cloud, with a perfect rise, a tender crumb, and that distinctive layered texture that separates great scones from merely good ones.
The CWA was established in 1922 to improve conditions for rural women and children. Alongside their serious political advocacy work, they became guardians of traditional Australian baking. Their scone recipe standards are exacting: scones must be uniform in size and color, have a good rise (minimum 4cm), possess a light texture, and show minimal spreading. Judges at agricultural shows take this very seriously - they measure the height, check the crumb structure, taste for lightness and flavor. Winning a CWA scone competition is like winning Olympic gold in the baking world.
Grandma's recipe came from her own mother, refined over decades of practice. The secret, she'd say, wasn't just the recipe - it was the technique. "Light hands, cold ingredients, minimal handling," she'd recite like a mantra. She'd chill her butter, use lemonade for extra lift (her secret weapon), and handle the dough so gently it barely knew it was being touched. "Every extra knead makes them tougher," she'd warn. "Treat the dough like a baby - gentle, quick, confident."
The scones had to be baked in a very hot oven, close together on the tray so they'd push up rather than spread out. "They need friends," Grandma would say, placing them almost touching. "Lonely scones spread, happy scones rise." She'd brush the tops with milk for a golden finish, and bake them until they smelled like heaven and sounded hollow when tapped.
The serving was just as important as the making. Grandma was firmly in the "jam first, then cream" camp - the Devonshire method, she called it, though the "cream first" Cornwall method had its passionate advocates too. She'd make her own strawberry jam every summer and serve it with thick double cream, the scones barely cooled, split with a knife (never pre-cut before serving - another CWA rule).
When Grandma passed at 89, her obituary in the local paper mentioned her seventeen blue ribbons alongside her community work. At her funeral wake, the CWA ladies - her competitors and friends for decades - made her scones using her recipe. It was the highest honor they could give her. This recipe represents rural Australian community, the pride in doing simple things perfectly, and the way food brings people together. When I make these scones now, I hear Grandma's voice: "Light hands, cold butter, hot oven, don't fuss."
"Every recipe tells a story, and every story brings us closer to the heart of home."
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Scaled Ingredients:
💡 Tip: Cooking times may need adjustment when scaling. Larger batches may take longer, smaller batches may cook faster.
Ingredients
For the Scones
For Serving
Pro Tips
- • COLD ingredients are crucial - cold butter, cold milk, cold lemonade. Warm ingredients = heavy scones.
- • Minimal handling is the key to lightness - every extra knead develops gluten and makes them tough.
- • Don't twist the cutter - press straight down and lift straight up.
- • Place scones close together so they rise up, not out.
- • Very hot oven is essential - don't be tempted to lower the temperature.
- • Scones are always best on the day they're made, preferably within a few hours.
- • The lemonade can be replaced with extra milk, but you'll lose some lift.
- • For cheese scones, omit lemonade, add 1 cup grated tasty cheese and a pinch of cayenne.
Storage
Scones are best fresh. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day. Freeze unfilled scones for up to 2 months - refresh in a 180°C oven for 5 minutes from frozen.
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). This is crucial - the oven must be very hot. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Have all your ingredients ready and cold. Cold ingredients = light scones.
- 2
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Sifting adds air and removes lumps - this is non-negotiable for prize-winning scones. Use a large bowl to give yourself room to work without compacting the dough.
- 3
Add the cold butter cubes to the flour. Using your fingertips (not your whole hands - too warm), rub the butter into the flour quickly and lightly. Lift your hands high as you work - this adds more air. Stop when the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Work quickly.
3 minutes - 4
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the cold milk and lemonade all at once. The lemonade is Grandma's secret - the carbonation creates extra lift and the sugar adds a subtle sweetness. Using a butter knife (not your hands yet), mix with quick cutting motions until just combined.
- 5
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. This is where technique matters: using light hands, gently bring the dough together with a few gentle kneads - no more than 5-6 presses. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. If it's dry, you've overworked it. If it's too sticky to handle, dust with a tiny bit more flour.
- 6
Gently pat (don't roll) the dough to about 2-2.5cm thickness. Using your hands is better than a rolling pin - you have more control and it's gentler. The thickness is important - too thin and they won't rise properly, too thick and the centers won't cook through.
- 7
Using a 6cm round cutter dipped in flour, cut straight down through the dough without twisting. Twisting seals the edges and prevents rising. Press straight down, pull straight up. Re-gather scraps gently and cut more scones. The first cutting yields the best scones; the second cutting is still good.
- 8
Place the scones on the prepared tray almost touching each other - leave just 5mm between them. This is Grandma's 'happy scones' trick - they support each other and rise up instead of spreading out. Brush the tops lightly with milk for a golden finish.
- 9
Bake for 12-15 minutes until risen and golden on top. They should have increased in height significantly and smell absolutely wonderful. Don't open the oven door for the first 10 minutes. They're done when they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
12 minutes - 10
Remove from the oven and transfer immediately to a wire rack. Cover with a clean tea towel - this keeps them soft on top while the bottoms crisp. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes. Scones are best served warm, not hot and not cold.
10 minutes - 11
To serve the CWA way: Split each scone horizontally with a knife (never pre-cut before serving). Spread generously with strawberry jam, then top with a dollop of thick cream. Serve with a pot of tea. Eat within 20 minutes of baking for the ultimate experience.
Ingredient Substitutions
Nutrition Information
Per serving (approximate)
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