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A lovely Tall Scone
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Foolproof Scones

After lots of testing (and tasting), I have found the ideal ratio and method for high risen, perfect Cream tea scones.
Course Afternoon Tea, Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword scones
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 8 large scones
Calories 430kcal
Author Lea

Equipment

  • baking sheet
  • baking paper
  • mixing bowl
  • fork
  • cutter (5.5 cm cutter/makes aprox 10 small scones; 6.8 cm cutter/makes approx 6 large scones)

Ingredients

  • 500 g plain flour
  • 14 g baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda just under levelled half a teaspoon
  • ½ teaspoon citric acid (food grade) just under levelled half a teaspoon
  • 40 g light brown muscovado sugar
  • 40 g white caster sugar
  • 150 g butter chilled
  • 2 medium eggs [100g] chilled and beaten; The total amount of liquid (including the eggs and milk) shouldn't exceed 260ml. If your eggs are heavier than recommended 100g/100ml use less milk.
  • 160 ml of milk chilled

Instructions

  • Sift the flour, citric acid, baking powder and soda into a bowl. Mix with a whisk or fork to make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed through the flour.
  • Grate the chilled butter into the flour using a coarse grater (work fast). Incorporate the butter in with a fork. Stop once you have an even crumbly mix. (You can use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour, but I discovered that using a fork is easier, gives me even crumbs and prevents the butter from softening too much).
  • Tip: Use a fork for most of the mixing. That way the ingredients stay cold and you are less likely overwork the dough.
  • Stir the sugar into the crumbly mix.
  • Make a well in the middle, add beaten eggs and with a fork keep combining the dry and wet ingredients.
  • Tip: Leave a small amount of egg at the bottom of the bowl, you can add a little bit of milk to it later and use the mix instead of an egg wash to brush the top of your scones.
  • In a few steps pour the milk in. Keep gently combining with a fork.
  • Finally, use your hands to incorporate the last bits of dry flour into the mixture by pressing and turning the dough in the bowl (it doesn’t take more than 8 - 10 movements). Stop when the dough is just about to hold together. It will look very messy and crumbly.
  • Tip the dough onto the lightly dusted counter. Pat the dough into an oval/circular shape at least 3 centimetres tall. Wrap it in the clean film and leave resting on a plate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 200C (without the fan).
  • After 30 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge and place it on a generously dusted countertop. Don’t knead the dough and don’t press it too hard; you can reshape it if you need to by gently patting it with your hands into the desired thickens. The dough already contains gas that developed when bicarbonate of soda was activated during mixing.
  • Cut the scones out using a round cutter. The top of the scones might have a few cracks and an uneven surface. That’s why I place the scones onto the tray with the top side down and the bottom - smoother side up.
  • For smaller scones use a 5.5 cm cutter. I’m able to cut around 14 little cuties and as I don’t like waste, I pat the leftover dough together again and cut out 3 additional scones. If you want a large scones, use a 6.8 cm cutter. You should be able to cut out around 6 scones and a couple more from the leftovers.
  • Brush the top of each scone with egg/milk wash and bake them on 200 C. Smaller scones will take around 13 minutes, bigger scones between 18 - 20 minutes.
  • Let the scones cool down before serving. Enjoy them with clotted cream and jam.

Notes

Tip: The total amount of liquid (including the eggs and milk) shouldn't exceed 260ml. If your eggs are heavier than recommended 100g/100ml use less milk so your dough isn't too wet. 
 
Tip: Use a fork for most of the mixing. This way the ingredients stay cold and you less likely overwork the dough.
 
Tip: Leave a small amount of egg at the bottom of the bowl, you can add a little bit of milk to it later and use the mix instead of an egg wash to brush the top of your scones.
 
Tip: For all of you who are missing some of the ingredients for my foolproof Cream tea scone recipe (especially citric acid and light muscovado sugar), try my Everyday Scones Recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 560IU | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 3mg