My Foolproof Scone Recipe

Revised and Better

It's been a few years since I set myself a goal to find the best recipe for traditional English scones.

On my scone journey, I've tested several recipes ranging from small food blogs to famous chefs including Paul Hollywood and Jamie Oliver with various results. Since I wasn't completely happy with any of the recipes I tested, I decided to make my own.

However happy I was with my own scone recipe back then - forward a couple of years, several more scone tests and recent experiments with James Martin's scones - I came to the conclusion that my list of ingredients was too long, making the recipe faff to make.

That's why I decided it's time for a few changes. Less is more and my scones are a good example of it.

📃 Ingredients Comparison

As you can see my new scone recipe contains fewer ingredients. I actually found that: 

• The amount of flour in my old recipe doesn't need as much leavening agent nor did it need two different leaveners.
• Citric acid is not a very common ingredient and is easy to over-use it; once I removed bicarbonate of soda from the recipe it wasn't needed.
• The recipe doesn't require eggs; I've learnt that scones without eggs are more delicate and light, and they rise more upwards.

❤️ Why I like My New Scone Recipe

• contains fewer ingredients
• easy to make
• quick
• makes good looking scones with a good rise
• scones are light and fluffy
• the recipe is easy to scale or adjust to either sweet or savoury options

🔍 Ingredients to use and why

Can scones be made with plain flour?

The answer is yes; you can use plain flour for making scones as long as you add a sufficient amount of raising agent.

Alternatives:

• strong (bread) flour (contains more gluten)

I like plain flour the best but it can be replaced with strong flour.

Should you put eggs in scones?

This question seems to divide scone fans into two camps. From what I’ve found, some authentic recipes don't contain eggs, but many chefs including Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, Jamie Oliver or even the royal family pastry chef use them. Does it mean that eggs in the dough make better scones?

I couldn't leave this question unanswered, so I made two batches of scones with and without eggs:

• The scones with eggs tasted richer, they were less crumbly, and they had more of a chewiness to them, possibly because the egg binds ingredients together. These scones also spread more, rising in all directions.

• In comparison, scones without eggs were more delicate and felt softer with even upward rise; every bite melted in the mouth.

There is no right or wrong. You can put eggs into scone dough to make them taste fuller, but does the dough need the eggs? No, it certainly doesn't. It surprised me, but I have to confess that we enjoyed the scones without eggs better.

Baking powder vs Bicarbonate of Soda

Both are leavening agents used in baking.

Baking powder is a pre-mix of a few components (diphosphates/acidic compound, sodium carbonates and maize starch). It reacts in two phases. The first reaction happens once the baking powder is mixed with liquid and the second reaction goes off when it's exposed to heat. 

The bicarbonate of soda is a single agent and needs to be used in combination with an acidic ingredient and liquid. Once the bicarbonate of soda, acid and liquid are combined, the reaction immediately produces carbon dioxide that helps the dough to rise.

Bicarbonate of soda on its own has a strong soapy, almost metallic flavour that needs to be “deactivated” by a sufficient amount of acidic sources - like buttermilk, lemon juice, apple sauce, cream of tartar, citric acid or even brown sugar.

This updated recipe contains only baking powder as I realised that while the rise was great, combining the bicarbonate of soda with baking powder and citric acid can leave scones with an unpleasant aftertaste.

Going back to only one raising agent is a safer option.

💡 Tips on how to make the best English Scones

Should butter be cold for scones?

Small flakes of cold butter in the dough will help to make softer, more crumbly scones that will rise better.

It's not necessary to freeze the butter as some suggest. Using chilled butter from the fridge works just fine. 

How much liquid to use?

Scone dough suppose to be a little bit sticky, but not too wet. I know it has the right consistency when it sticks to my fingers but leaves the edges of the bowl clean.

The recommended amount of milk is more of a guidance. It is because different flour absorbs different amounts of liquid. Most likely, you won't need all of it.

My advice is to add the milk in a few steps. At first, pour around ⅔ (a little over half of the milk) into the flour. Then keep adding the milk in smaller amounts to prevent making the dough too wet.

If you have a problem mixing all dry flour into the dough add another splash of milk, if the dough is too wet add more flour.

Does it help to work the dough as little as possible?

Based on my tests, working the dough less makes lighter scones. As it can be tricky to judge when it is the best time to stop I follow these steps:

• use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it makes fine breadcrumb consistency
• gently incorporate milk into the dry ingredients with your hand until all the flour is mixed in
• tip the dough onto a floured surface and give it 5 - 6 gentle 'folds and turns'. Don't try to knead the dough like bread to create a smooth dough.

Should you rest scones before baking?

I tried to chill the dough in the fridge before cutting the scones out (following Jamie Oliver's recipe). However, I find it easier to cut out scones first, give them an egg wash and let them rest in the fridge already ready on a baking tray.

I can confirm that the rested scones rose better compared to the unrested dough. The difference was noticeable, but if you don't have a space in the fridge don't worry too much.

How thick to roll/pat the dough?

You can roll the dough into the desired thickness with a rolling pin or shape it by patting it with your hands. I use my hands, as I feel my dough is too messy for a rolling pin.

How to make scones go brown on top? Can I use milk instead of egg wash?

To achieve a beautiful golden-brown top on your scones give them an egg wash before baking. You can use either whole egg or only egg yolk (makes the top more yellow).

An egg gives an excellent result, but if you don't want to use it, you can brush the top of the scones with these alternatives:

• milk or cream
• melted butter
• coconut oil (vegan)
• honey or maple syrup

Can you make scones without a cutter?

You can use any round object with thin walls (easier for cutting) like a can or small plastic container. I don't like using glass as it has thicker walls.

Small, empty and clean tin with a diameter of around 5 cm is a good replacement for a pastry cutter.

Alternatively, you don't need a cutter at all. Simply make American-style scones by shaping the dough into a round disk and cutting it into wedges.  

Tips Overview

Scones are not difficult to make, but perfect looking scones can be more challenging. Follow these tips for the best result: 

• weigh all ingredients using kitchen scales
• keep refrigerated ingredients cold
• use a sufficient amount of raising agent (for each 100g of plain flour use 1 levelled teaspoon of baking powder)
• don’t overmix/overhandle the dough 
• let the cut-out scones rest in the fridge before baking
• don’t pat the dough too thin if you want tall scones
• use egg wash to achieve a beautiful brown top

📷 How to Make Foolproof Scones - Step by Step

Preheat the oven to 200 C/180 C fan and line the tray with baking paper.

Combine all dry ingredients: Sift the flour and mix it with the baking powder, sugar and salt.

Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mix resembles a fine breadcrumb.

Pour a little over half of the milk into the flour and with your hands gently combine the wet and dry ingredients. Keep adding the rest of the milk in small steps preventing the dough from becoming too wet and sticky.

Once the dry flour is incorporated into the dough stop adding more liquid; the dough will look lumpy and messy.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and dust with more flour over the top (dust your hands too if the dough is too sticky). Give it around 5 gentle 'folds and turns' to make it a little smoother.

With your hands shape the dough into a circular/oval disc approximately 2.5 - 3 centimetres thick.

Cut the scones out with a round pastry cutter - 5.5 cm for smaller scones (makes 13 pcs) or around 7 cm for bigger ones. Place the scones onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving a small gap in between each.

Brush the top of each scone with a beaten egg.

Bake the scones at 200 C/180 C fan for 12 - 13 minutes or until they have risen and are golden brown.

How to Scale my Foolproof Scones

Do you need to scale the recipe to make a bigger or smaller batch? It's easy if you know the ingredients' ratios.

For every 100g of plain flour (the dough thickness 2.5 cm - using a 5.5 cm cutter - makes 2.5 scones) you need:

• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 15 grams of caster sugar
• 30 grams of butter
• 44 millilitres of milk

How to Alter the Recipe

It's super easy to change these plain scones into various sweet or savoury options.

For sweet scones - you can try to add different dry fruit, like a handful of raisins into the dough.

If you decide to pre-soak the raisins make sure you squeeze the liquid out before mixing the fruit into the dough and consider adding less milk.

For savoury scones - reduce the sugar and mix in 150 grams of grated cheddar cheese, you can also experiment with adding bacon, caramelised onion or different fresh herbs.

How to eat English Scones

The two much loved English customs linked to scones are Cream tea and Afternoon tea. 

Cream tea is a name for a light snack consisting of a cup of tea and a scone. 

Traditional Afternoon tea is a light meal served between lunch and dinner. It consists of a tier of sandwiches, mini cakes and a tier of scones.

The scones are served accompanied by clotted cream and jam for both occasions. You possibly heard about the famous disagreement of what topping goes first - the jam or the cream.  

Try a little test to find out what your preference is. I like the Devonshire way - clotted cream first followed by a jam. If your preference is jam first topped with a spoon of clotted cream you like the Cornish method. To my surprise, the order of the toppings actually affects the final taste.

If you want to be authentic, don’t cut a scone with a knife, the correct way is to break the scone in half with your fingers.

Can Scones be Frozen and Reheated?

Scones always taste the best when they are freshly baked and still slightly warm. They quickly become dense and stale once they cool down.

If you don't eat all of the scones the same day, your best solution is to freeze them in an airtight ziplock bag while they are still fresh.  

Defrost frozen scones at room temperature (20- 30 minutes) and heat them up for 10 seconds in the microwave or 4 minutes in the oven (160C) just before serving. Reheating them makes them soft again. They'll be almost as good as freshly baked scones.

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4.50 from 8 votes

My Foolproof Scones / New Improved Recipe

After lots of testing (and tasting), I have found the ideal ratio and method for a perfect foolproof scone recipe. These traditional English scones are made from plain flour, without eggs and they take only 12 minutes to bake.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Course: Afternoon Tea

Cuisine: British

Servings: 13 pcs

Calories: 258kcal

Author: Lea

Ingredients

• 500 g plain flour alternative: strong flour
• 5 tsp baking powder each teaspoon leveled
• 75 g caster sugar
• 150 g butter chilled and cut to small cubes
• 250 ml full-fat milk
• 1 egg for egg-wash; chilled and beaten

Equipment

• large mixing bowl
• oven tray
• baking paper
• round pastry cutter 5.5 cm for smaller scones (makes 13 pcs)

Instructions 

• Heat the oven to 200 C/180 C fan and line the tray with baking paper.
• Sift the flour and mix it with the baking powder, sugar and salt.
• Rub the butter with dry ingredients using your fingers until the mix resembles a fine breadcrumb.
• Pour a little over half of the milk into the flour and gently combine the wet and dry ingredients with your hands.

  Keep adding the rest of the milk in small steps preventing the dough from becoming too wet. Once the dry flour is all incorporated into the dough stop adding more liquid; the dough will look lumpy and messy.

  Note: Not all flour absorbs the same amount of liquid - you might not need all the milk.

  Tip: The dough has the right consistency when it sticks to my fingers, but the bowl's edges stay clean.
• Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and dust with more flour over the top. (Dust your hand too if the dough is very sticky).

  Give it around 5 gentle 'folds and turns' to make it a litte smoother.
• With your hands pat the dough into a circular/oval disc approximately 2.5 - 3 centimetres tall.
• Cut the scones out with a round pastry cutter - 5.5 cm for smaller scones (makes 13 pcs) or around 7 cm for bigger ones. Place the scones onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving a small gap in between each.

  Note: You can press together the leftover dough to be able to cut a few more scones out of it. The more you work with the dough tougher it gets, so I re-use the dough only once.
• Brush the top of each scone with a beaten egg.
• Optional: If you have time and space, rest the tray with cutout scones in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
• Bake the scones at 200 C/180 C fan for 12 - 13 minutes or until they have risen and are golden brown.

Notes

Tips for the best result: 

• weigh all ingredients using kitchen scales
• keep refrigerated ingredients cold
• use a sufficient amount of raising agent (for each 100g of plain flour use 1 levelled teaspoon of baking powder)
• don’t overmix/overhandle the dough 
• let the cut-out scones rest in the fridge before baking
• don’t pat the dough too thin if you want tall scones
• use egg wash to achieve a beautiful brown top

Nutrition

Serving: 13g | Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 2mg