How To Make English Scones Recipe - Fast Food Bistro (2024)

You will not believe how easy this British scones recipe is until you try it yourself. Combine, mix, and in the oven. In less than half an hour you have them on the table. So, are you ready to learn how to make English scones? Join me in the bistro kitchen!

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Delicious Fluffy English Scones Recipe

This is a great bistro recipe because what better to start the day or accompany afternoon tea with these easy scones.

You can eat them with jam, clotted cream, or unsalted butter and you will want another one. They are light and fluffy but do not need any proofing.

The butter will make the flaky and that is what you want. Do not over mix the dough, keep your ingredients and the dough cool, and work fast.

Bake them golden brown and you are in scone heaven.

You can make them in your trusted oven but if you want some fast scones you can prepare them in the Air Fryer as well.

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What Is a Scone?

Before we share how to make them, first the question of what is a scone and where they come from.

Scones are round baked goods that originate from England. They are made with wheat flour, butter, and a leavening agent like baking powder.

This results in soft, fluffy, and flaky bread. A scone is slightly sweetened and served with sweet toppings. You bake them in the oven on a baking tray.

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English Scones vs American Scones

So what are the differences between an English scone versus an American scone?

Even though scones are British they look similar to the American biscuit but there are a number of differences:

  • English scones are mostly sweet but American biscuits are not sweet
  • British scones are made with cold butter while American scones are made with shortening or animal fat
  • American biscuits are served with breakfast or as a bread roll for dinner as opposed to British scones being served with cream tea or high tea

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English Scones Ingredients

If you want to make this English scones recipe you need the following ingredients on your grocery list:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Milk
  • Unsalted butter
  • Sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Egg
  • Salt

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How To Make Scones

Start this English scones recipe by preheating the oven to 425℉. Then take a big bowl like the mixing bowl from OXO and add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

I use these cute nest measuring cups from Joseph Josep which are stackable and hardly take up any space.

Take a wooden spoon and whisk the ingredients. Then add the butter in small chunks and stir to combine.

The butter-flour mixture should have a sand-like texture and you should not see the butter. Instead of whisking by hand, you can also make the mixture in a kitchen machine.

Take a second bowl and combine the egg and milk into an egg wash. Save 2 tablespoons to brush your scones with.

Pour the remaining egg mixture into the flour mixture. Stir the dry and wet ingredients into a coarse dough.

Flour a board and put the dough on it. Do not overwork the dough else the dough will not rise and stay flat.

Knead no more than 10 times just so the dough comes together into a ball. The dough should be slightly sticky so resist the urge to add flour.

Take a rolling pin and flour it. Roll the dough in a circle about 1 inch thick. Use a 2 to 2.5″ cookie cutter and cut the scones.

Take all the remaining dough and cut more scones. Try for a clear cut do not move the cutter around too much this will prevent the scones from rising in the oven

Take a big mega baking sheet and cover it with baking paper. Put the scones on the baking sheet and brush them with the remaining egg wash.

Bake the scones for 13-15 minutes golden brown or until they have doubled in height. Serve.

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When Are My Scones Done?

As every oven is different there is an easy trick to determine if your scones are done. Take one scone and tap on it in the center.

When it sounds hollow you know your scones are done.

Why Won’t My Scones Rise?

There can be a number of reasons why your scones won’t rise:

  • Fresh ingredients – Always use fresh self-raising flour or fresh baking powder for this recipe. This gives you the best chance your bakes will rise properly in the oven
  • Wet dough – The dough should be sticky but not too wet. When your dough is too wet it will not rise

Can You Make Scones Ahead Of Time?

You can easily make your basic scone dough ahead of time and keep them in the fridge overnight until you are ready to bake.

You can easily make the dough freeze until you want to bake. Additionally, you can make the scone, and bake them before you freeze them.

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What Do You Do Put On English Scones?

Scones can be made plain, with raisins or sultanas. So, you can eat scones as it is, but they are usually served with:

  • Jam (strawberry jam)
  • Clotted cream
  • Unsalted butter

You can also add some delicious homemade blueberry pie filling or red currant pie filling.

How To Store Scones

You have several ways to store homemade scones. Let them cool completely before storing:

  • Room temperature – you can store English scones at room temperature in an airtight food container, breadbox, or a resealable bag. You can store them for at least 2j to 3 days
  • Freezer – if you want to store them longer, I recommend you store them in the freezer. Put them in a freezer-friendly food container or in a resealable bag

I never store them in the refrigerator as bread does not store well in the fridge. The texture of bread changes in the fridge.

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How To Reheat Scones

If you have leftover scones, you have several ways to reheat them:

  • Air Fryer – reheat your scones in an Air Fryer. Just preheat the Air Fryer to 320℉ for 3 minutes. Then add the scones to the Air Fryer basket and heat them for 3 minutes or until warm. Serve them immediately
  • Oven – you can also reheat your scones in the oven. Preheat it to 350℉ and in the meanwhile put the scones on a baking tray. Warm them for 5 minutes or until warm
  • Microwave – you can also warm scones in the microwave (but it is not my recommended way). Put the scones on a plate. Sprinkle the scones with a little bit of water. Set the microwave to 1 minute. Check to see if the scones are warm else repeat. Be careful as bread in the microwave can turn hard really fast

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I hope you will love this English scones recipe as much as I do and give it a try!

Made a recipe please tag @fastfoodbistro on INSTAGRAM, PIN on PINTEREST, and like us on FACEBOOK for more information and updates.

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English Scones Recipe

Yield: 18

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Looking for quick and easy scones? Take a look at this delicious traditional English scones recipe. Eat them with jam, clotted cream or butter.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅔ cup whole milk
  • ¼ cup of sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 large egg

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425℉/218℃. Then take a big bowl and add the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt
  2. Take a wooden spoon and whisk the ingredients. Then add the butter in small chunks and stir to combine
  3. The butter-flour mixture should have a sand-like texture and you should not see the butter
  4. Take a second bowl and combine the egg and milk into an egg wash. Save 2 tablespoons to brush your scones with
  5. Pour the remaining egg mixture into the flour mixture. Stir the dry and wet ingredients into a coarse dough
  6. Flour a board and put the dough on it.
  7. Knead no more than 10 times just so the dough comes together into a ball.
  8. The dough should be slightly sticky so resist the urge to add flour.
  9. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough in a circle about 1 inch thick. Use a 2 to 2.5″ cookie cutter and cut the scones
  10. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Put the scones on the baking sheet and brush them with the remaining egg wash
  11. Bake the scones for 13-15 minutes golden brown or until they have doubled in height
  12. Serve

Notes

  1. Instead of whisking the flour and butter by hand you can also make the mixture in a kitchen machine
  2. Do not overwork the dough else the dough will not rise and stay flat.
  3. When cutting the scones try to make a clear cut. Do not move the cutter around too much this will prevent the scones from rising in the oven

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 105Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 182mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g

Please note: Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

How To Make English Scones Recipe - Fast Food Bistro (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick in making good scones? ›

Rather than mixing the ingredients together, use a technique called “cutting”. Use a flat-bladed knife or a palette knife and cut it (or pull it) through your ingredients when you add the wet ingredients so they are just barely incorporated. Don't overwork the dough.

What type of flour is best for scones? ›

We recommend using all-purpose flour. There is some debate as to what flour one should use to go around achieving the perfect scone. This is because within different flours comes different levels of protein.

What to avoid when making scones? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones
  1. Using anything but cold ingredients. The secret to the flakiest scones is to start with cold ingredients — cold butter, cold eggs, and cold cream. ...
  2. Only using all-purpose flour. ...
  3. Overmixing the dough. ...
  4. Not chilling the dough before baking. ...
  5. Baking them ahead of time.
May 1, 2019

How to make scones rise higher? ›

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

How long should you rest scones before baking? ›

Recipes for scones sometimes provide a make-ahead option that involves refrigerating the dough overnight so it can simply be shaped and then popped into the oven the next day. But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.

What causes scones not to rise? ›

Not using enough leavening agent. Placing scones far away from each other on the baking tray. Not preheating the oven before putting in the scones. Low-quality ingredients.

Is heavy cream or buttermilk better for scones? ›

Heavy Cream or Buttermilk: For the best tasting pastries, stick with a thick liquid such as heavy cream or buttermilk. I usually use heavy cream, but if you want a slightly tangy flavor, use buttermilk.

Is baking soda or baking powder better for scones? ›

Not sure whether to use baking soda or baking powder? You can use baking soda if you've added an acidic ingredient to the dough (e.g. buttermilk, vinegar, lemon juice). Use baking powder if you have not added anything acidic.

What makes a good quality scone? ›

The best scones have a crisp, slightly caramelized exterior and a tender, buttery, just-sweet interior. They can be dressed up with a glaze, studded with fruit or nuts, or gently spiced.

What went wrong with my scones? ›

Check the texture of the dough.

If the dough is too dry, the scones won't rise and will be crumbly. On the other hand, if the scones are too wet, they won't rise either, and will be too tough and chewy once baked. Don't hesitate to tweak the amounts and proportions to get the right texture.

How to tell if scones are done? ›

Scones with fruit and wheat-free scones may take longer than others Increase baking times in 3 minute increments to test. Higher elevation will need less cooking time. To check if they are ready, press down on the top to check if firm to touch, they are READY. If it indents down, bake for another 3-5 min.

Why do you put eggs in scones? ›

Scones can be made either with self-raising flour or with plain flour and baking powder. Sweet scones and cheese scones have an egg added to enrich them. Both will rise but whatever scone you make its important that they are handled lightly and not rolled too thinly.

Should you sift flour for scones? ›

The less you knead the mix, the less the gluten will tighten up – which means your scones will stay loose and crumbly, rather than tight and springy. Make sure you sieve the flour and baking powder into your bowl. This means that the two will be well mixed together, which gives you a better chance of an even rise.

How thick should scone dough be? ›

It is far better that the scone mixture is on the wet side, sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it out with your hand, or use a rolling pin, to a thickness of 1-2 cm (1/2 – ¾ inch).

What happens if you put too much baking soda in scones? ›

Too much baking soda will result in a soapy taste with a coarse, open crumb.

Why aren t my scones light and fluffy? ›

Overworking the dough: when you overwork your dough, your scones can come out tough and chewy, rather than that desired light, crumbly texture. The trick is to use light pressure and only the work the dough until it just comes together.

What is the main reason for resting scones before baking? ›

Place pan of shaped scones into the freezer for up to 30 minutes before baking. This short rest relaxes the gluten, making scones more tender; and cold chills the fat, increasing flakiness.

Should scones be baked touching? ›

Scones like to cosy up to one another in the baking tray. This helps them to rise evenly in the cooking process. When placing the scones in the baking tray they need to be touching.

References

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