English Scones

How to Make English Scones

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1. Heat the oven to 220°C / 430°F and line a baking tray.

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2. Rub the cold butter into the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some larger flakes remaining. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.

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3. Beat the egg with the milk and vanilla, and reserve 2 tablespoons.

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4. Make a well and pour in most of the liquid. Bring it together with a butter knife, using a cutting motion, until it just forms a shaggy dough. Add the rest of the liquid only if needed.

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5. Tip onto a floured surface and pat — do not roll — into a slab 4 cm thick. Fold it in half once and pat out again; this single fold creates a natural split line.

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6. Cut straight down with a floured 6 cm cutter without twisting. Press the offcuts together gently and cut again.

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7. Place the scones close together on the tray so they support each other as they rise.

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8. Brush only the tops with the beaten egg, keeping it off the sides where it would glue the layers shut.

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9. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until well risen and deep golden. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and serve warm.

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Related guide: Ingredient substitutions.

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A Few Pointers

• Never twist the cutter. It is the most common reason scones bake crooked.
• A 4 cm thick slab gives tall scones. Rolling thin gives you biscuits.
• Cream first or jam first is a Devon-versus-Cornwall argument with no correct answer, whatever anyone tells you.

Swaps and Variations

• No self-raising flour to hand? The common home substitute is the same weight of plain flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder for every 150 g, sifted together well; the rise may not be identical to a bought self-raising flour.

Pairs Well With

A pot of strong English breakfast tea · Serve with clotted cream and strawberry jam · Part of a proper afternoon tea

Storage

Best on the day. Keep 2 days in a tin and refresh at 160°C / 320°F for 5 minutes. Freeze 2 months baked or unbaked.

What's in a Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.