The Scone is an essential part of British culture. You cannot have a traditional Cream Tea without tea, jam, clotted cream, and a lovely, light, fluffy Scone. It’s the law.
The pronunciation of Scone has been debated for as long as it’s been around, and people either pronounce it as “scone” (rhyming with “tone”) or “scone” (rhyming with “gone”), and there’s even a poem which highlights this difference:
I asked the maid in dulcet tone
To order me a buttered scone;
The silly girl has been and gone
And ordered me a buttered scone.
But no matter how you pronounce it, there’s no debating that they’re loved all over Britain. Scones can come in all manner of incarnations – dried fruit or cheese scones are both very popular – but with this recipe I’m going to guide you with how to make the classic plain scone that you can use as the basis of any scone recipe, and give you a wonderfully light, fluffy and delicious Scones every single time.
Classic Scones
Print RecipeIngredients
- 500g Plain Flour
- 5 tsp Baking Powder
- 80g Unsalted Butter, Softened and cut into cubes
- 80g Caster Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, beaten
- 250ml Buttermilk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Salt
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 200°C (180°C)/400°F/Gas Mark 6
Add your flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a large bowl and mix them all together.
Take your softened butter cubes and add it to the flour mix and then, with your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until it takes on a slightly fine breadcrumb texture.
Add in your beaten eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract and very gently combine with the dry ingredients. You don't want to overwork the dough, so I find it's best to use a knife to combine the ingredients until they all come together. If the last vestiges of flour are proving troublesome, you can gently use a spatula or your hands to finish. The dough should be a soft and a little sticky.
Generously flour a work surface and your hands so the dough doesn't stick and place on it on the work surface. Flatten out the dough gently - I don't use a rolling pin - until it's around 3cm/1 inch thick.
With a round pastry cutter (using the plain side, not fluted, if they're double-edged) cut out as many scones as you can, and then bring together the remaining dough and repeat until all the dough is used up. To make the cutting easier, dip the cutter in flour before each cut. Do not twist the cutter otherwise your scones will cook lopsided!
Line two baking sheets with greaseproof baking paper and place the scones onto the sheets evenly with a enough space between them to rise and expand.
Dust with a little extra flour and place in the oven and bake for 13 minutes, turning halfway for an even bake. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Although no-one would blame you for slicing one open while it's still warm and having it with some wonderfully melty butter!
