The best scones
- Published: 30 Apr 11
- Updated: 26 May 25
This is the best scone recipe – the only one you need. This traditional, old-fashioned method is quick, easy and use just three ingredients. Serve with jam and clotted cream for afternoon tea. It’s ready in just 30 minutes.
Take your scones to the next level with these pistachio and rosewater scones, made with buttermilk.
-
Serves 8 -
Takes 15 minutes to make, 15 minutes to cook
Nutrition
- Calories
- 161kcals
- Fat
- 6.3g (3.9g saturated)
- Protein
- 3.2g
- Carbohydrates
- 24.5g (3g sugar)
- Fibre
- 1.2g
- Salt
- 0.3g
delicious. tips
You never knead a scone dough, as you want it to be only very lightly mixed. This is what gives them their crumbly texture.
Make sure your butter is fridge cold when you chop it and mix it into the flour. Cold fat in a dough will create a flakier texture once it’s introduced to the hot baking sheet. If you’ve got the time, put the cut scones in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking for maximum flakiness.
Preheat the heavy-duty baking tray to get the raising agent working immediately. This gives the lightest, airiest scones with the crispest bases.
Do everything with the lightest of touches – overworking the dough can make the scones tough. Using a dinner knife to mix in the liquid rather than your hands helps avoid overworking the mixture.
Press out the dough rather than rolling it to avoid stretching the dough or compacting it.
The deeper the dough, the taller your scones will be. When cutting them out the dough should almost come to the top of the cutter.
Don’t twist the cutter – press straight down for an even rise.
You can warm day-old or defrosted scones briefly in a microwave or oven to bring them back to life.