Discover ways to make good scones! My recipe is straightforward to customise along with your favourite add-ins, and it yields buttery, flaky, flavorful scones each time.
The very best scones are buttery, flaky, and moist inside. They’re crisp and crumbly across the edges, good for pairing with a cup of espresso or tea.
Scones can get a nasty rap for being bland or dry (my husband Jack swore he didn’t like them for years), however after they’re ready properly, they shouldn’t be both of these issues.
I’m sharing my favourite scone recipe beneath. It’s simple to make with 10 fundamental substances, and you may customise it along with your favourite candy or savory mix-ins. Irrespective of which of them you choose, it yields tender, flavorful, bakery-worthy scones each time.
In case you’re on the fence about scones, I believe this recipe will win you over. Even Jack will let you know that it’s scrumptious for breakfast or brunch!
What are scones?
Much like biscuits, scones are calmly candy baked items enriched with butter and/or cream and leavened with baking powder. Right here within the US, we regularly load them up with glazes and mix-ins like fruit and chocolate chips. In Britain, scones are typically easier, sometimes made with out mix-ins and left unglazed. Famously served as a part of excessive tea, British scones are the proper automobile for toppings like jam and clotted cream.
This recipe is for American scones. Although you can make it with out mix-ins for extra of a British vibe, I believe they’re half the enjoyable right here. I’m sharing a few of my favourite taste variations afterward on this publish!
Primary Scone Recipe Components
This fundamental scones recipe begins with 10 easy substances:
- Combine-ins of your selection – You’ll find a few of my favourite taste variations beneath. Choices embrace lemon blueberry, cranberry orange, chocolate chip, and even cheddar herb!
- All-purpose flour – It creates the bottom of the dough. Spoon and degree it to keep away from packing an excessive amount of into your measuring cup.
- Cane sugar – It makes these scones calmly candy. I add sugar to the dough whether or not I’m making candy scones or savory ones. If I’m going the candy course, I additionally sprinkle coarse sugar on prime for sparkle and crunch.
- Baking powder – It helps the scones puff up as they bake.
- Unsalted butter – For richness and buttery taste. I freeze the butter for 1 hour, then grate it earlier than working it into the scone dough.
- Buttermilk – It provides extra richness and moisture to the dough. In case you don’t preserve buttermilk readily available, discover options within the callout beneath!
- An egg – It makes these scones tender and light-weight.
- Vanilla – Once I make candy scones, I at all times add a splash of vanilla for heat depth of taste. Once I make savory ones, I skip it.
- And sea salt – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements beneath.
Buttermilk Alternate options
I really like utilizing buttermilk in scones. It provides wealthy, tangy taste along with moisture, and its acidity helps the scones rise.
However for those who don’t preserve it readily available, that’s okay! Listed here are a number of options:
- Heavy cream
- Full-fat coconut milk
- A scant 1/2 cup milk combined with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice. Set the combination apart for five minutes to thicken earlier than including it to the dough.
The best way to Make Scones
Making scones from scratch would possibly sound sophisticated, however I promise, this recipe is basically easy! Right here’s the way it goes:
Begin by making the scone dough. In a big bowl, whisk collectively the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Grate the frozen butter on the massive holes of a field grater, then use your fingers to work the butter shreds into the flour till the combination resembles a rough meal.
Do I want to make use of frozen grated butter?
I like to recommend it! I just like the frozen grated butter technique for 2 causes:
- It ensures that the butter is chilly, which is important for making flaky scones! Baked items like scones, biscuits, and pie crust develop into flaky when small items of butter within the dough soften within the oven. They don’t prove as flaky if the butter melts earlier than that, if you’re dealing with the dough.
- It doesn’t require plenty of dealing with. You need to go away some chunks of butter within the dough—these are what make the scones flaky! Grated butter items are already pretty small, so that you don’t want to interrupt them up a lot when you add them. You’ll be able to shortly and simply work them into the flour.
That stated, for those who want to not use this technique, you don’t must! You can too work cubed chilly butter into the flour combination utilizing your arms or a pastry cutter. An alternative choice is to chop the butter into the flour utilizing a meals processor.
After you add the butter, add your required mix-ins and toss to coat within the flour.
In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the remaining moist substances. Pour them into the flour combination.
Combine with a spatula till a shaggy dough types. Then, change to your arms and knead to include any remaining dry flour. Watch out to not overwork the dough to keep away from melting the butter.
- Tip: The combo-ins you employ and the humidity in your kitchen can have an effect on the feel of your scone dough. It must be delicate, however not sticky. Don’t hesitate to work in slightly additional flour if it feels too sticky or so as to add extra liquid if it feels too dry.
Subsequent, form the scones. On a calmly floured floor, flatten the dough right into a 1-inch-thick disk. Slice it into 8 equal wedges.
To maintain the butter chilly, freeze the scones for quarter-hour whilst you preheat the oven to 400°F. Then, brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
Bake till golden brown, 18 to 27 minutes. That’s it!
Scone Taste Variations
This scone recipe is a unbelievable template for practically any taste of scone! Have enjoyable experimenting with totally different add-ins.
Listed here are a number of of my favourite variations:
- Lemon blueberry – A zesty twist on my blueberry scones! Use 1 1/2 cups blueberries because the mix-ins. Whisk 1 tablespoon lemon zest into the moist substances. Drizzle the cooled scones with my simple lemon glaze.
- Chocolate chip – Use 1/2 cup chocolate chips because the mix-ins. Add a pinch of nutmeg to the dry substances.
- Currant or raisin – Use 1/2 cup dried raisins or currants because the mix-ins. Add a pinch of cinnamon to the dry substances.
- Cranberry orange – Use 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries because the mix-ins. Whisk 1 tablespoon orange zest into the moist substances.
- Cheddar herb – Omit the vanilla extract. Use 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup chopped recent chives because the mix-ins.
Let me know what variations you attempt!
Greatest Scone Recipe Ideas
- Modify the liquid based mostly in your mix-ins. Juicy mix-ins like raspberries and diced strawberries will launch moisture into the scone dough. In that case, you’ll possible want much less buttermilk. Begin by including simply 1/3 cup (as a substitute of 1/2) and steadily add extra as wanted to assist the dough come collectively.
- You received’t use the identical quantity of each mix-in. A very good rule of thumb is 1/2 cup for dried fruit and chocolate chips and 1 to 1 1/2 cups for recent fruit. And for those who’re making savory herb scones, you can use as little as 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary, sage, or thyme!
The best way to Freeze Scones
As soon as baked, scones preserve properly in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 2 days.
You can too freeze them. Seal baked scones in an hermetic container or bag, and retailer them within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature, or shortly defrost within the microwave.
An alternative choice is to freeze the scones earlier than baking. Freeze them for 1 hour on a plate or baking sheet. Then, retailer them in an hermetic container or bag within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Bake them straight from frozen, including a minute or two to the baking time if wanted.
With scone dough within the freezer, you’ll be able to deal with your self to a freshly baked scone anytime you want!
Simple Scones Recipe
Serves 8
We love these buttery, flaky scones for breakfast or brunch! This simple recipe works properly with a wide range of add-ins like blueberries, dried fruit, and chocolate chips. Discover a few of my favourite taste variations within the weblog publish above.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 stick, frozen for at the very least 1 hour
- ½ to 1½ cups mix-ins*, equivalent to berries, dried fruit, or chocolate chips, non-obligatory
- ½ cup chilly buttermilk*, or heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
- 1 giant egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, non-obligatory
- Coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
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Line a big baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a big bowl, whisk collectively the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
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On the massive holes of a field grater, grate the frozen butter. Add to the flour combination and toss to coat. Use your arms to work the butter into the flour till the combination resembles a rough meal. Add desired mix-ins and toss to include.
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In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla, if utilizing. Pour over the flour combination and use a spatula to combine till a shaggy dough types. Knead along with your arms to include any remaining dry flour. The dough ought to really feel delicate however not sticky. If it’s sticky, work in a bit extra flour. If it’s dry, drizzle in slightly extra buttermilk. Kind the dough right into a ball.
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Switch the dough ball to a calmly floured floor and kind it right into a 7- to 8-inch disk about 1 inch thick. Slice into 8 equal wedges and switch to the ready baking sheet, leaving slightly house round every scone.
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Freeze the scones for quarter-hour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400°F.
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Take away the scones from the freezer and brush with buttermilk. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if utilizing. Bake for 18 to 27 minutes, or till golden brown on prime.
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Switch to a wire rack to chill.
*Word: Combine-ins equivalent to recent raspberries or diced recent strawberries will add moisture to the scone dough. If utilizing these, begin by including simply ⅓ cup buttermilk to the dough. Add extra as wanted, 1 tablespoon at a time, till the dough comes collectively. You’ll possible want lower than ½ cup complete because of the additional moisture from the fruit.