If you don’t know what to make for afternoon tea, make scones! One of the best things about this scones recipe is that they only need 15 minutes in the oven, meaning you’ll have a batch of freshly baked scones in no time.
Ingredients
Method
Basic scone
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper. Sift into a large bowl. Rub in butter to make fine crumbs.
Make a well in centre; add milk. Using a round-bladed knife, cut through mixture until it forms a soft dough, adding 1-2 tablespoons more milk if needed. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly until smooth, then shape into a 2cm-thick round.
Using a 5.5cm cutter dipped into flour, cut round from dough. Place scones side by side on prepared tray. Brush tops with extra milk to glaze. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and well risen. Serve scones with jam and cream.
For best results, make on the day of serving.
Test Kitchen tip
You’ll need these …
What is the secret of making good scones?
A good scone is light and fluffy on the inside and golden on the top. While there isn’t really one ‘secret’, here are some tips to help you make good scones every time:
- Rub butter into the flour using only fingertips, rubbing the butter with your palms will melt it causing the dough to become tough.
- Lift the flour as you rub it into the butter to aerate the dough.
- Cut the liquid into the dry ingredients with a butter knife until the mixture is just incorporated and still looks shaggy. The mixture does not need to be smooth.
- Use a light touch to lightly knead the dough.
- Make as many scones from the first cutting as you can. Scones from subsequent rollings will be a little tougher and slightly misshapen.
- Place scones close together, about 1cm apart, on the tray, this will produce a high and even rise.
What to avoid when making scones
- Over kneading the dough; this will result in a rubbery scone. Lightly knead the dough until it just comes together, it will not be smooth.
- Using too much additional flour; only lightly flour the work surface when kneading the dough, extra flour will dry out the dough and toughen the scone.
- Avoid twisting the cutter when removing it, twisting will cause the scones to rise unevenly. Push the cutter straight down and pull it straight up in one even motion for a straight even rise.
Do you put eggs in scones?
Classic scone recipes do not use eggs and they are not needed to achieve a light and fluffy scone. However, some recipes may include an egg to add moisture and richness to the scones, or as an egg wash before cooking them.
Are scones served warm or cold?
Scones are traditionally eaten warm, topped with cream and jam. But you can eat them however you want, especially with so many variations on the classic recipe.
Want some variety? Try our gluten free scones recipe, or check out our collection of other sweet and savoury scone recipes.
