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!

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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 difference between British scones and English scones? ›

British scones are traditionally drier, lighter, plain in flavor, and significantly less sugary than American scones and are commonly served for breakfast or with afternoon tea as a bready snack. America's Test Kitchen claims that butter is one of the major differences between English and American scones.

What is the trick in making good scones? ›

Keep the dough cool: As previously mentioned, it's crucial to keep the dough cold so that the butter doesn't melt before the scones are baked. With chilled dough, you'll have pockets of butter in the dough (this is a good thing!) that create a super-flaky, oh-so-delicious end result.

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

What is the best flour for scones? ›

Use pastry flour for the lightest scones. All-purpose plus pastry flour also works, but don't omit the pastry flour. "Once you've shaped your scones, chill them before baking," Youngman says. "You can use that time to preheat the oven so the kitchen doesn't heat up while you make the dough.

What are British scones called in America? ›

A Biscuit (U.S.) Is a Scone (U.K.)

Both baked goodies use flour, fat, liquid and a leavening agent. The main differences are that scones tend to have less butter (because you'll add butter to it when you eating it — or else, clotted cream or jam) while American biscuits tend to have more butter and light layers.

Why are American scones different from English scones? ›

British scones are more closely related to American biscuits. While a British "biscuit" is what we would call a crunchy cookie! Sometimes made with raisins or sultanas, British scones are on the plain side compared with American scones, which are typically heavily flavored and topped with a drizzle or glaze.

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.

Should you chill scone dough before baking? ›

Not chilling the dough before baking: to really ace your scones, it helps to chill your dough again before it's baked. Using cold ingredients does help, but your hands will warm up the dough when you're working with it and the extra step of chilling will help you get the best result.

Is buttermilk or cream better for scones? ›

If you are using baking soda, you will want to use buttermilk, an acidic ingredient that will react with the leavener to help them rise. On the other hand, if you use cream or milk, you'll want to use baking powder because it combines the acid needed with baking soda all in one complete powder.

How do you 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.

Why are scones bad for you? ›

Although convenient and tasty, scones are a complete loss. They are typically extremely high in calories from the heavy butter and cream. And, although scones with fruit might seem healthier, most are even higher in calories and still high in saturated fat. Steer clear of scones.

Why do scones taste bad? ›

That slightly bitter, kinda “tinny” flavor you often experience when biting into a muffin, biscuit or scone is the result of using a baking powder in high quantities — as is needed for these quick-rise treats — with aluminum in it.

Is it better to sift flour for scones? ›

Sifting flour is usually a good idea, says Penny Stankiewicz, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. “It lightens the flour and aerates it, making it easier to mix into any emulsion.

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).

Should you sift flour for scones? ›

3. Don't forget to sift! Be sure to double or even triple sift your flour, as it takes away the clumps in the flour allowing for more air pockets in the scone dough - the result being a fluffier and more crumbly scone.

Are British scones the same as American scones? ›

American scones use much more butter than British scones, and they usually have quite a bit more sugar. The extra butter is what makes them so much more dense. It's not really a good or bad thing, as British scones pile on plenty of sugar (in the form of preserves/jam) and butter or clotted cream as toppings.

Are British scones the same as American biscuits? ›

"The ingredients for British scones and the American biscuit are very similar," says Holly Snyder, senior culinary product developer at Amazon Fresh. "The proportions of those ingredients are the key difference; scones usually have less butter and more liquid than American biscuits."

What are the two types of scones? ›

Scones made with cream (rather than butter) are rich and cake-like, while scones made with butter are tender and flaky. Based on your preference, make your favorite recipe using either butter or cream: Cream scones vs. butter scones.

What do British call biscuits and gravy? ›

In England, the closest counterpart to biscuits and gravy would be scones and gravy.

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