Discover ways to make good scones! My recipe is simple to customise together with your favourite add-ins, and it yields buttery, flaky, flavorful scones each time.
The perfect 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 once they’re ready effectively, they shouldn’t be both of these issues.
I’m sharing my favourite scone recipe beneath. It’s simple to make with 10 primary substances, and you’ll customise it together with your favourite candy or savory mix-ins. Regardless of which of them you choose, it yields tender, flavorful, bakery-worthy scones each time.
Should you’re on the fence about scones, I feel this recipe will win you over. Even Jack will inform you that it’s scrumptious for breakfast or brunch!
What are scones?
Much like biscuits, scones are evenly candy baked items enriched with butter and/or cream and leavened with baking powder. Right here within the US, we frequently 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 right car for toppings like jam and clotted cream.
This recipe is for American scones. Although you may make it with out mix-ins for extra of a British vibe, I feel they’re half the enjoyable right here. I’m sharing a few of my favourite taste variations afterward on this submit!
Fundamental Scone Recipe Components
This primary scones recipe begins with 10 easy substances:
- Combine-ins of your selection – You will discover 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 level it to keep away from packing an excessive amount of into your measuring cup.
- Cane sugar – It makes these scones evenly 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 high 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. Should you don’t maintain buttermilk available, discover options within the callout beneath!
- An egg – It makes these scones tender and lightweight.
- Vanilla – After I make candy scones, I all the time add a splash of vanilla for heat depth of taste. After I make savory ones, I skip it.
- And sea salt – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements beneath.
Buttermilk Options
I really like utilizing buttermilk in scones. It provides wealthy, tangy taste along with moisture, and its acidity helps the scones rise.
However should you don’t maintain it available, that’s okay! Listed here are just a few options:
- Heavy cream
- Full-fat coconut milk
- A scant 1/2 cup milk blended with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice. Set the combination apart for five minutes to thicken earlier than including it to the dough.
Make Scones
Making scones from scratch would possibly sound sophisticated, however I promise, this recipe is de facto 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 end up as flaky if the butter melts earlier than that, once you’re dealing with the dough.
- It doesn’t require lots 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 may shortly and simply work them into the flour.
That mentioned, should you favor to not use this technique, you don’t should! You may also work cubed chilly butter into the flour combination utilizing your palms or a pastry cutter. Another 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 kinds. Then, change to your palms and knead to include any remaining dry flour. Watch out to not overwork the dough to keep away from melting the butter.
- Tip: The combination-ins you utilize and the humidity in your kitchen can have an effect on the feel of your scone dough. It ought to be mushy, however not sticky. Don’t hesitate to work in somewhat 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 evenly 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 when 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 implausible template for almost any taste of scone! Have enjoyable experimenting with totally different add-ins.
Listed here are just a few 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
- Regulate 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 seemingly want much less buttermilk. Begin by including simply 1/3 cup (as an alternative of 1/2) and step by step add extra as wanted to assist the dough come collectively.
- You gained’t use the identical quantity of each mix-in. A great rule of thumb is 1/2 cup for dried fruit and chocolate chips and 1 to 1 1/2 cups for recent fruit. And should you’re making savory herb scones, you may use as little as 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary, sage, or thyme!
Freeze Scones
As soon as baked, scones maintain effectively in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 2 days.
You may also 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.
Another 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 possibly can 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 effectively 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 submit 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 not less than 1 hour
- ½ to 1½ cups mix-ins*, reminiscent of berries, dried fruit, or chocolate chips, optionally available
- ½ cup chilly buttermilk*, or heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
- 1 massive egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optionally available
- Coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Stop your display 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 palms 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 kinds. Knead together with your palms to include any remaining dry flour. The dough ought to really feel mushy however not sticky. If it’s sticky, work in a bit extra flour. If it’s dry, drizzle in somewhat extra buttermilk. Kind the dough right into a ball.
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Switch the dough ball to a evenly 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 somewhat area 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 high.
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Switch to a wire rack to chill.
*Be aware: Combine-ins reminiscent of 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 seemingly want lower than ½ cup whole because of the additional moisture from the fruit.