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Close up of a hand holding a English round scone with more scones in the background.
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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.
Course Afternoon Tea
Cuisine British
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Servings 13 pcs
Calories 258kcal
Author Lea

Equipment

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

Ingredients

  • 500 g plain flour alternative: strong flour
  • 5 teaspoon 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

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