British-Style Scones

Servings: 8 Total Time: 29 mins
Tall, light scones with a soft crumb, served warm with jam and cream.
Scones with jam and cream

Illustrative stock photos, not this exact recipe. Photo credits are at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients in this recipe

Tap any ingredient to read its history, origin and where it is used.

A good scone rises tall and breaks open into a soft, buttery crumb. The keys are cold butter, a light touch and cutting straight down without twisting the cutter.

Serve them warm, split, with jam and cream. Whether jam or cream goes first is up to you.

Recipe label: Based on traditional technique. Photo: illustrative stock photo, not the finished dish from this exact recipe.

Photo credits: Photo 1: Sarah Kilian on Unsplash; Photo 2: Clément Proust on Pexels; Photo 3: arjan carja on Pexels. Free stock photos, used under the Unsplash or Pexels license and shown here as illustrations only.

Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 14 mins Total Time 29 mins
Servings: 8

Description

Tall, light British scones with a soft crumb, ready in 30 minutes. Serve warm with jam and clotted cream or butter.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F (200°C fan) and line a tray.
  2. Rub the butter into the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs.
  3. Whisk the milk and egg, keeping 1 tablespoon aside. Stir into the flour to form a soft dough without kneading.
  4. Pat out to 3 cm (1¼ in) thick. Cut with a 6 cm cutter, pressing straight down without twisting.
  5. Place close together on the tray, brush the tops with egg wash and bake 12-15 minutes until risen and golden.

Note

Cold butter and a light touch give the best rise. Warm the scones before serving. Freeze unbaked cut scones and bake from frozen, adding 3 minutes. Best the same day.
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Frequently asked questions

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Cream first or jam first?

Both are fine; it is a friendly debate.

Why did my scones not rise?

Warm butter, over-handling or twisting the cutter.