Today I’m sharing everything you need to know to make this Foolproof Scones Recipe. A flaky, crisp exterior exposes a tender, buttery soft interior that melts away in your mouth. These traditional scones are heavenly for breakfast or afternoon tea!
The delightful English scone has graced the plates for afternoon tea in kitchens for years. Humble in appearance yet beautiful in its simplicity, the scone is a prerequisite of any high tea. If you love an afternoon snack, youll enjoy my Cherry Almond Scones, Chocolate Hazelnut Granola Bars, or Lemon Poppy Seed Madeleines.
When making scones in the past, have you experienced the dough being too sticky, the scones don’t rise, or theyre lopsided, or even worse, dry? Yep, so have I. So, Ive spent time developing this incredible recipe to share.
This recipe for big fluffy scones is the real deal. So stick around and lets delve into the ins and outs of this foolproof scones recipe so that you too can create a batch to rival Mary Berrys scones!
Scones can be made either with self-raising flour or with plain flour and baking powder. Sweet scones and cheese scones have an egg added to enrich them. Both will rise but whatever scone you make its important that they are handled lightly and not rolled too thinly.
American Scones VS British Scones!
Having been in this food space for a couple of years now, I’ve come to understand the differences between American scones as opposed to scones made here in Britain.
In the States Ive noticed the popular scone shape is a triangular wedge shape. The dough is shaped into round discs and cut into segments.
Often the scone dough itself is sweeter with more sugar added and filled with all sorts of fruit, nuts, or chocolate. Once baked the scones are decorated with a drizzle or glaze over the top of each scone and eaten as is.
In Britain, we cut the scones into rounds with a plain or fluted-edged cookie cutter. Theyre either left plain or filled with dried fruit as standard.
The tops are brushed in egg wash, milk, or cream to provide a golden finish and once baked theyre served split in half, with clotted cream and jam or butter. The scone dough itself isn’t overly sweet due to the toppings added during serving.
In this easy, foolproof scone recipe, lets delve into the ingredients needed to make beautiful flaky, soft scones.
- Self-raising flour – Part of the success of making scones lies in the height that they rise. Using self-raising flour will greatly improve your chances as it has a raising agent already mixed through. (Check out my FAQs below if you can only get plain flour.)
- Salt & baking powder – Salt adds depth to the flavour, and the extra baking powder helps create a little more lift.
- Caster sugar – Add sweetness; feel free to use granulated sugar if that is all you have.
- Whole Milk – I prefer full-fat milk due to the higher fat content, which adds more richness to the dough. Double cream (heavy) cream, yogurt or buttermilk can be used as a substitute. You might need a teaspoon or two more cream as its consistency is thicker than milk.
- Large Egg – The egg helps bind the ingredients together and increases the richness and flavour.
- Unsalted butter – Has to be cold to create flaky layers within the scone.
Scones topped with clotted cream or whipped cream and jam are utterly delightful. Having said that, theyre brilliant when other ingredients are added, creating different flavour variations.
Here are some ideas of what you can mix through your dough before baking:
- Citrus: Grate orange or lemon zest into the dough. Make a simple glaze of powdered icing sugar with a little citrus juice to drizzle on top of the scone for extra flavour. My Cranberry Orange Scones are Christmas favourites!
- Chocolate: Add in milk, dark or white chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (I have a Chocolate Chip Scones Recipe thats delicious!).
- Dried fruit: Any dried fruit such as sultanas, raisins, cranberries or chopped apricots are a wonderful addition. Check out my fabulous Sultana Scones.
- Berries: Frozen or fresh strawberries, blueberries or raspberries can add the perfect fruity kick. Be aware that the cooking time might increase as the fruit adds moisture to the dough.
- Savoury: Add cheese, herbs or even crispy bacon pieces for the perfect accompaniment to your meal. Ali at Give Me Some Oven has some delicious-looking Cheddar Scones.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Uses pantry ingredients. Flour, butter, egg, and milk make up the core ingredients of these scones, and youre most likely going to have them in your kitchen.
- Quick to make. The scones come together in ten minutes or under, and with a short bake time, you could enjoy a beautiful scone in under half an hour.
- Perfect for afternoon tea. Served alongside a cup of tea, these make the perfect afternoon snack.
Scone mistakes to avoid/Scone Recipe/English Scones
FAQ
Does scones contain eggs?
What can I use instead of egg in scones?
Why do scones need eggs?
Eggs also add moisture, richness, and flavor to the final product. That’s why you will find that many baking recipes, including scones, call for eggs. Eggs help give baked goods a light and airy texture, helping them rise. The proteins in eggs coagulate, set, and solidify during the baking process, forming the structure of baked goods.
Do scones have eggs?
Eggs also add a beautiful color to baked goods, making them look lovely and appetizing. While scones can be made without eggs, they may not have the same texture and flavor profile. So, including eggs in scone recipes can be beneficial, even if not strictly necessary. Eggs in scones is a topic of much debate among bakers and pastry enthusiasts.
Should you add eggs to scones?
While some argue that adding eggs can enhance the texture and flavor of scones, others believe that it alters the traditional recipe and makes it more like a biscuit or cake. One advantage of adding eggs to scones is that it can make them more moist and fluffy. Eggs add richness to the batter and improve the overall texture of the finished product.
Do scones need to be cooked before baking?
Scones really are best when they are fresh and warm from the oven. Follow this tip: Bake scones right before you plan to enjoy them. If you’d like to get ahead, you can make and shape the dough into scones ahead of time and leave them in the fridge overnight.