Classic British Scones

Name: Classic British Scones
Prep time: 24 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 41 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled, plus extra for dusting; 1 tablespoon (13 g) baking powder, fresh, level; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar; ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt; 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes; ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, cold; 1 whole (50 g) large egg, cold, lightly beaten; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) whole milk, cold, for brushing the tops; ½ cup (160 g) strawberry jam, for serving (optional); ½ cup (120 g) clotted cream, for serving; whipped cream or mascarpone also works (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tall, tender, buttery scones with a crisp golden top and a soft, flaky crumb. They come together in about 25 minutes of hands-on time and are best split and served warm with jam and clotted cream.

Prep: 24 min
Cook: 17 min
Wait: 25 min
Total: 1 hr 6 min
Makes: 8 scones (2½-inch / 6 cm rounds)

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Ingredients

8 servings

2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon (13 g) baking powder, fresh, level
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream, cold
1 whole (50 g) large egg, cold, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons (30 ml) whole milk, cold, for brushing the tops
½ cup (160 g) strawberry jam, for serving (optional)
½ cup (120 g) clotted cream, for serving; whipped cream or mascarpone also works (optional)

Equipment (9)

Large baking sheet (about 13×18 inches / 33×46 cm)
Parchment paper
Large mixing bowl
Whisk and small bowl
Pastry cutter or box grater (optional; fingertips also work)
Sharp 2½-inch (6 cm) round cutter
Pastry brush
Wire cooling rack
Kitchen scale

Steps

Before you start

Keep the butter, cream and egg in the fridge until the moment you use them. Cold fat is what makes scones flaky and tall.
Do not preheat the oven yet. It heats while the cut scones chill, so the dough stays cold until it goes in.
Use a sharp 2½-inch (6 cm) round cutter. A dull edge or a twisting motion seals the sides and stops the scones rising evenly.
Check that your baking powder is fresh (under 6 months old). Old baking powder is the most common cause of flat scones.

1
Prepare pan, whisk dry
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt for about 30 seconds so the baking powder is evenly spread through the flour.
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Ready when: No streaks or clumps of baking powder remain; the mixture looks uniformly pale.
Tip: Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling. Scooping packs it and makes dry, heavy scones.
2
Rub in the butter
- Add the cold butter cubes to the bowl.
- Toss to coat, then cut in with a pastry cutter, or rub between your fingertips, pressing each cube flat.
- Work quickly for about 3 minutes until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
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Ready when: Mostly coarse crumbs with scattered pea-sized butter pieces; the mixture is not greasy or paste-like.
Tip: If the butter feels soft or sticky, put the whole bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes before continuing.
3
Whisk the liquids
- In a small bowl, whisk the cold cream and the beaten egg until smooth and uniform in color.
- Pour about two-thirds... of it is not needed yet: keep it all in the bowl and set it next to the flour mixture.
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Ready when: The mixture is one uniform pale yellow with no visible egg streaks.
4
Mix the dough
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in all of the cream and egg mixture.
- Stir with a fork or spatula, turning the bowl, for about 20 seconds, just until the flour is mostly moistened and a shaggy dough forms.
- If dry flour remains at the bottom, add 1 teaspoon of cream at a time and stir once more.
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Ready when: A shaggy, slightly sticky dough that holds together when squeezed, with a few dry spots.
Tip: Stop mixing while it still looks a bit rough. Overworking develops gluten and makes tough scones.
5
Pat and fold
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter.
- With floured hands, gently knead 4 or 5 times only, just to bring it together.
- Pat into a rectangle about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick.
- Fold it in thirds like a letter, rotate 90 degrees, and pat out again to a rectangle about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick and 8×6 inches (20×15 cm).
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Ready when: The dough is smooth enough to hold together and is an even 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
Tip: Pat with your hands instead of using a rolling pin. This keeps the thickness even without pressing out the air.
6
Cut the rounds
- Dip the cutter in flour, then press straight down through the dough without twisting.
- Lift straight up.
- Cut as many rounds as you can, spacing the cuts close together (about 6 rounds).
- Gently press the scraps together, pat to 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, and cut 1 or 2 more.
- Place the scones 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the lined baking sheet.
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Ready when: You have 8 rounds, each about 1 inch (2.5 cm) tall with clean, straight sides.
Tip: Do not twist the cutter. Twisting seals the edges and the scones will rise lopsided.
7
Chill while oven heatsOven 425°F / 220°C
- Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator, or the freezer if you have room, for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F (220°C).
- Make sure the oven has fully reached temperature before the scones go in.
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Ready when: The scones feel firm and cold to the touch and the oven signals it is preheated.
Tip: Cold butter melting in a hot oven makes steam, which gives the layers and lift.
8
Brush and bakeOven 425°F / 220°C
- Brush the tops of the scones with the milk, keeping it off the cut sides so they can rise freely.
- Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until the tops are deep golden brown.
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Ready when: Tops and bottoms are deep golden brown, the sides look dry and set, and the scones sound hollow when tapped on the base.
Tip: Brush gently. Milk dripping down the sides glues the edges and limits the rise.
9
Cool and serve
- Transfer the scones to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.
- They are best warm, not hot.
- Split each one in half by hand and serve with jam and clotted cream.
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Ready when: The scones are warm to the touch, no longer steaming, and the crumb is soft and fluffy inside.
Tip: Split by hand along the natural crack instead of cutting with a knife, which compresses the crumb.

Good to know

Tips

Keep everything cold. If the kitchen is warm, chill the flour and bowl for 10 minutes before starting.
Handle the dough as little as possible. A rough, shaggy dough bakes into a light, tender scone.
For taller scones, pat the dough to a full 1 inch (2.5 cm) and place the scones close together, almost touching, on the pan so they support each other as they rise.
For fruit scones, fold in ½ cup (75 g) of raisins or currants after the butter is rubbed in, before adding the liquid.

Make ahead

Cut the scones and place them on the baking sheet, then freeze until solid (about 1 hour). Transfer to a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Bake straight from frozen at 425°F (220°C), brushed with milk, adding 3 to 5 minutes to the baking time. You can also cover cut scones and refrigerate them overnight, then bake in the morning.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: airtight container for up to 1 day (best on the day they are baked). Fridge: up to 3 days in an airtight container. Freezer: baked scones, wrapped well, keep for up to 2 months. Reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 5 to 8 minutes (10 to 12 minutes from frozen) until warm and the crust is crisp again.

Substitutions

heavy cream → cold whole milk or buttermilk. Scones will be slightly less rich. Use the same volume. With buttermilk, the flavor is tangier and the crumb is a little more tender.
all-purpose flour → self-raising flour (300 g). Omit the baking powder and salt can stay. This is the traditional British approach and gives a similar rise.
unsalted butter → salted butter. Use salted butter and reduce the fine salt to ¼ teaspoon.
clotted cream → mascarpone or softly whipped heavy cream. Both give a similar rich, creamy contrast to the jam.