Here’s a lofty, light, well-balanced, perfectly textured, and utterly delicious scone. This recipe produces such fantastic results that I rarely stray too far from the basic formula—with one exception and that involves the egg.
On occasion, I have actually forgotten to add the egg and didn’t even notice the faux pas until long after we had eaten all of the amazingly delicious scones, raving over every bite. So clearly that indicates that the egg is nice to have but not absolutely essential. In fact, you may not even notice if you forget to add it. Try it both ways and see what you think. If you do opt to forgo the egg, you will want to increase the liquid by ¼ cup. But (and I know this from experience), if you forget to do that, your scones will still be scrumptious.
Dry Ingredients
2 cups King Arthur unbleached, all-purpose flour (9 ounces)
0-6 tablespoons sugar (none for savory scones and 4-6 tablespoons for sweet scones)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda, ONLY IF acidic liquids are used, such as buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, or crème fraiche
½-1 teaspoon fine sea salt (½ teaspoon for sweet scones and 1 teaspoon for savory scones)
Butter
8 tablespoons very cold, unsalted butter, cut into 16 equal-size pieces
Liquid Ingredients
1 large, very cold egg (or ¼ cup additional liquid)
¾ cup very cold buttermilk, cream, or half of each (or thinned yogurt, sour cream or crème fraiche)
Additional Ingredients (choose one)
2 ounces grated cheese, optional
½-1 cup dried fruit, such as currants, raisins, cranberries, blueberries, or cherries, optional
½-1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries, optional
Finishing
Buttermilk, cream, or beaten egg, for brushing on tops prior to baking, optional
Demerara sugar, sanding sugar, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or chopped nuts, optional
Serving
unsalted butter, optional
favorite jam, optional
- In a mixing bowl, add and then whisk together the flour, sugar (if using), baking powder, baking soda (if using) and salt. Dump out onto a clean work surface.
- Distribute the butter over the dry ingredients and toss lightly to coat the pieces with flour. Using a large, heavy rolling pin, roll over the mixture to flatten the butter. Using a dough scraper, push the mixture together, and then repeat the rolling process. Repeat two more times, scraping off the rolling pin between each process.
- Scoop the mixture into a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and fridge for at least ½ hour to chill the butter.
- Meanwhile, in a glass measuring cup with a pouring spout, whisk the egg, and then whisk in the liquid. Cover and fridge until needed.
- Remove the bowl from the frig and add the very cold liquid. Use a large, flexible spatula to gently fold the liquid into the developing dough so that the dough becomes uniformly moistened. Do not stir the dough!
- Add any optional ingredients now.
- Turn the dough out onto the floured work counter and very gently move it around a bit to ensure that all portions are uniformly moistened. Do not knead the dough!
- If desired (for extra flakiness), after the dough is formed, flatten somewhat and gently make 2 letter folds (as for flaky pastry or croissant dough) in opposite directions. This will help to build flakey layers in the baked scone.
- Pat the dough into the desired shape and then cut 8 equal-size scones. If there are scraps, push them together gently, pat into shape, and cut into the desired shape.
- Put the scones on a lightly oiled baking sheet and either bake or cover with plastic wrap and frig until ready to bake, as much as a day later.
- Just before baking, brush the tops (but not the sides) of the scones with buttermilk, cream, or beaten egg. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar or other garnish of choice.
- Ten minutes before baking, set an ovenproof dish filled with ¼ cup water on a rack in the bottom third of the oven. (The steam will enhance the scone’s rise.)
- Bake at 375° in the upper third of the oven for about 15-16 minutes, depending on scone size, or until the scones are light brown on the bottom and just golden on top. Do not overbake! Overbaking produces dry scones.
- Remove scones to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before devouring them. Scones are at their absolute perfection within an hour out of the oven.
- To store, let the scones cool completely, then seal in an airtight Ziploc bag for as long as a day before eating. Otherwise, freeze the scones and later reheat in a 350° oven for 5 minutes or in a microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Makes 8 scones.
Copyright 2012 Susan S. Bradley. All rights reserved.
Pages: Page 1 Page 2
About Susan S. Bradley
Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Vicki robinsonPlease can you tell me amount of butter to use in scone recipe. It says 8 tbs can you tell me in ounces. Please.
- Susan S. Bradley
Hi there Vicki! Eight tablespoons butter equals 1/2 cup, 1 stick, and/or 4 ounces. Hope this helps. 🙂
- Anne
I’m still looking for the actual full recipe. (?)
I just saw the butter and egg variations but nothing on how much levening, salt, sugar, buttermilk. (??)I enlarged the JUMP TO RECIPE link near the end of the post. Hopefully, it’s easier to see now. 🙂
- Jojo
Of the numerous scone recipes I’ve tried, these are simply the best and the easiest…hands down. I have made many sweet and savory variations and they never fail to please! I’ve tried rolling the butter out as posted in the directions as well as the traditional way of cutting the butter in and both ways have yielded excellent results. I never skip the folding phase! What works best for MY oven: Bake at 375 for 16 minutes and leave the scones in for 3 more minutes with the oven OFF. I always get a beautiful crunchy crust with a very moist scone inside! This IS the keeper scone recipe! Thanks Susan
Jojo, thank you so much! Will try your tips on baking temperature and time. 🙂
- Marianne
I love scones especially as we have to make our own since they’re not readily found here in Asia, and thus have tried many scone variation recipes.
Loved this recipe and it was very easy to follow. My scones came out perfect. Thank you!
Awesome to hear, thank you, Marianne! 🙂
Nice scones: The place in Perthshire “Scone”, is pronounced (Scoon as in spoon.) Scones in Scotland are pronounced Scone as in (gone.) I’m from Perth in Scotland. I ken! An aside: Afternoon tea is sandwiches, cakes and scones. High Tea is served in place of dinner: More of an early supper with something like pie and chips or egg, bacon and chips , ham and salad and chips, with scones, and cakes and tea.
Alastair, very interesting, thank you. I’ve never encountered the “scoon” pronunciation. So that makes at least three ways to say it. 🙂
Joann, thank you! The key to the scones rising is the chemical leavener. Check the date on the can to make sure it’s fresh. Also, for browning the crust, check the temperature of your oven. It might have been a bit low. 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water should not have interfered with the browning of the crust. I corrected the recipe to reflect 1/4 cup though.
- Anonymous
Hello Susan,
I m excited about your recipe and am new to baking scones. Need to know how much sugar and baking soda is enough for the recipe. Will it be good without sugar since I can eat it with jam?
Hi there! Please scroll down in the post to the actual recipe. No sugar is required and the scones are very good even without sugar. Baking soda is only required if an acidic liquid is added to the dough, as specified in the recipe. Happy baking! 🙂
- Robert
Thanks for the GREAT recipe! Made these yesterday morn – must have worked too fast as my very clod scones needed to bake for 22 min! They are incredibly tender and delish! I want to ask you about the nuances with doubling or tripling the recipe – often proportions don’t work out quite as simply as doubling or tripling them. Have you done this or do you have any recommendations for doing this? Thanks!!
Awesome news, thanks Robert! 🙂 You shouldn’t have any trouble doubling or even tripling this recipe. Happy baking! …Susan
- Carol Ann Dwyer
Susan Bradley you’re a genius. Thank you for all the effort and hours you put into this. Your writing style is superlative. I wanted a scone like Panera. Ka-Ching! Hugs.
Carol Ann, you make my day. Thanks so much. 🙂
- Marcia Easterling
Tried your scones this morning using method 2 in my Kitchenaid mixer, and could not be more pleased! Fast and easy with perfect results, tender on the inside with crunch on the outside, lofty wedges with a gorgeous even golden brown color. Split beautiully to hold butter and fresh honey from our bees.
I took you at your word and did not work the dough at all, just plopped the mixture out of the bowl onto the granite. lightly floured my hands as the dough was a little tacky, formed into a rectangle, then envelope folded, flipped, formed into a circle, cut, and placed on a Silpat. Honestly, it was that easy! I did not handle the dough at all, and the entire process took less than 5 minutes.
In case anyone else has experienced it, I could see pieces of butter in the batter as mine were going in the oven, about the size of peas- but the results were perfect.
I have a convection oven so lowered the temp to 350 for 15 minutes.- Susan S. Bradley
Wonderful news, thank you Marcia! (Yes, you should be able to see paper-thin shards of butter in the dough.)
- Julie
I don’t see a method 2 using food processor; is that somewhere? I did use a food processor to pulse the dough, feeling quite guilty about it, but they were nonetheless the best scones I’ve ever made! THanks.
Julie, so glad they turned out well! I purposely don’t use a processor because it produces small granules of butter rather than the larger pieces needed for sheeting the butter into the dough. (This said, if you are very careful to keep the butter pieces, large, it should still work.) When I compared the difference in pastries, biscuits, and scones mixed by hand or stand mixer to those mixed in the processor, I stopped using the processor for these doughs. There is a discernable difference. Hope this helps. …Susan
Thank you, Julie. 🙂 Method 2 is described above the actual recipe. Simply use the ingredient list and follow directions for Method 2. Hope this helps. 🙂
There are two methods for ensuring the butter is layered, rather than incorporated into the dough.
Method 1: Cut the butter into 1½ teaspoon size chunks (16 chunks per 1 stick butter). Dump the mixed dry ingredients out onto a clean surface and scatter the very cold butter on top. With your hands, lightly coat the butter chunks with flour by tossing the two together a few times. Then, using a heavy rolling pin, roll over the mass, flattening the butter into thin sheets. Gather the mixture up into a loose mass and repeat twice more. Scoop the mixture into a mixing bowl and continue with the recipe. After the dough is formed, flatten somewhat and gently make 2 letter folds (as for flakey pastry or croissant dough) in opposite directions. This will help to build flakey layers in the baked scone.
Method 2: Cut the butter into 1½ teaspoon size chunks (16 chunks per 1 stick butter). Add the dry ingredients to the workbowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scatter the very cold butter on top of the dry ingredients. Pulse the mixer to cut the butter into the flour, making sure not to cut the butter pieces too fine. Peas-size pieces are just about right. Add the wet ingredients and pulse the mixer a couple of times only to barely incorporate the liquid. Turn the dough out onto a clean countertop and finish by hand. After the dough is formed, flatten somewhat and gently make 2 letter folds (as for flakey pastry or croissant dough) in opposite directions. This will help to build flakey layers in the baked scone.
- Kylie
I’ve tried this recipe three times, each time chilling everything then rolling out the butter three times and chilling everything again, but every time the dough turns out sticky and unworkable. I had to add an extra cup of flour to make the dough something that i could handle.. What am I doing wrong?
- Susan S. Bradley
Hi Kylie…
Flour is such a variable in bread baking because it contains different amounts of moisture depending on type and moisture level in the kitchen. It’s fine to add more flour as needed but the dough should be on the wet side. Mostly you just need to keep a little flour on the board and on your hands while you quickly shape the dough. What was your result when you added that extra cup of flour to the dough? Was the scone still light, tender, and flaky?
- Rachel
On America’s Test Kitchen TV show, they put dry ingredients and butter chunks into a plastic zip bag, pushed out all the air, and rolled with a rolling pin. Super easy, and no mess.
- Susan S. Bradley
Rachel, great idea, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Rachel, good idea! 🙂
- Mjsbjoyno
Hi
I am going to make berry scones and after reading your recipe I’m quite keen to make the dough the night before so I avoid the big rush around before my guests arrive. If I’m using frozen berries should I 1) freeze the completed dough (assuming they will defrost in the fridge and mess with the dough) or 2) refridgerate the dough and mix in the berries (gently) before shaping and baking?
Many thanks!- Susan S. Bradley
Hi there! With frozen berries, the best bet is to combine them with the dough just prior to baking. But then you will have to shape the dough the morning you plan to serve the scones. You could also add the berries to the dough and then quickly shape and freeze the scones–before the berries thaw. You have a lot of latitude with this dough. The tricky part is the frozen berries. You don’t want them to thaw before they go into the oven. Hope this helps. 🙂
- Zizanie
You have certainly been a busy little Vegemite, haven’t you?!
In Australia we pronounce them as in ‘gone’ and anyone who uses the ‘scown’
is regarded as a bit la di da. I’m looking forward to the rolling pin technique.
Just a little niggle; the plural of ‘formula’ is ‘formulae’ not ‘formulas’!
I am so glad I’ve discovered your site and am sure I shall be visiting regularly.- Susan S. Bradley
Zizanie, thanks so much, love this comment. On the plural-of-formula front, the American Heritage Dictionary says either usage is fine– but even so, it wouldn’t be the first time I butchered the English language. 🙂
- Anonymous
we say scone to rhyme with “gone” in Scotland, never to rhyme with “stone” and the cake has nothing to do with the place spelled Scone – that is pronounced to rhyme with moon! 🙂
- Jaylin
You’re on top of the game. Thanks for sharing!
- Nate Martin
Thanks for the recipe!
I had some trouble when I tried this out, so I’m hoping you can give me some advice.
I chose “method 2” and used my stand mixer to make this. I used buttermilk, and 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries. I also added a 1/2 tsp of vanilla. As this was meant as a sweet scone, I added the sugar in the recipe, all 6 tablespoons. I was careful to keep the butter very cold, including chilling the mixer bowl and paddle.
The first difference I observed was that my dough seemed much wetter than the pictures you showed. It stick to my hands as I was forming it, and didn’t look at all like the relatively dry dough I see in your pictures. I don’t have a dough cutter (yet), so I used a slicing knife. It also stuck to the dough, and I had to cut multiple times to actual separate the wedges.
I refrigerated the formed dough overnight on the baking sheet, covered with plastic wrap.
I made sure the oven had fully preheated to 375, and added the water to the oven 10 minutes before putting the scones in. I brushed the scones with buttermilk, and added a little cinnamon and sugar to the top.
After baking, the scones didn’t really rise up as much as spread out. They turned out very “spongy”, and not the normal texture I would expect from scones. I thought they tasted ok, but my wife didn’t agree!
What could I have done incorrectly? Should I have added more flour, to compensate for the wetness of the dough?
On a side note, is the greased baking sheet necessary, or could a silicone baking mat be used instead of the grease?
Thanks for the recipe! I’ll try again one of these days, but hopefully you can give me some advice.
- Susan S. Bradley
Hi Nate. It’s difficult to say exactly what went wrong without being in your kitchen with you. The dough is on the wet side. But yes, you could have added more flour. I suspect that perhaps the butter was over mixed into the flour. That is a potential outcome of Method #2. But I’m wondering if something else is going on here, as the scones should have tasted good, no matter what. Check the expiration date on your baking powder. That could be the culprit for the lack of rise. And yes, you can use a silicon mat if you prefer. Try again. Once you master the basic technique, you’ll have it for life.
- Anonymous
You need to bake straight from mixing – your mistake was to leave the dough uncooked too long.
- Nicole
Can you confirm that your measurements are english or american cup sizes and spoon sizes, as I know they are different.
I am in America, but dropped here from England. Miss those scones, cant wait to try these.
- Susan S. Bradley
Hi Nicole, and welcome to the United States. 🙂 I use American measurements. The flour is also specified by weight for accuracy. Happy baking!
- Fili
Step 1 am I supposed to dump the dry ingredients onto a dry flat surface? before adding liquid? Totally confused
- Susan S. Bradley
Fili, yes. I revisited the directions and they are clear. Please review the process with pictures above the recipe. You’re going to LOVE the results! 🙂
- Elizabeth G
I made these last night using method 2, buttermilk, and no steam in the oven. They were delicious and my family loved them! Thank you!
- Claudia
I love scones! The first time I tried them was a while ago during a trip I had in Hawaii. I ate it at the hotel and now, I’m crazy for whatever scone recipe I can find. Thank you for posting such detailed and informative recipes! You’re a real craving-saver! 🙂
The best scones ever!!! Yum!!!!
- Stacey
Thanks so much for doing all this research and testing! Do you think a whole grain version is in the cards?
- Susan S. Bradley
Stacey, you bet. You can substitute whole wheat flour for white flour, but the scones will be a bit heavier. A half and half blend would work well though.
I am so excited I found you post. I was looking to make a good breakfast snack to share with some of the guys I work with and I thought scones would be perfect. I’ve never made them before so I was so happy to find so many great tips! I’ll be making these this weekend!
- Patty Sherman
I read all of the comments as well as your recipe for scones. I can’t wait to try them. I really want to make oat scones. Can you tell me how to adapt the recipe?
Thanking you in advance,
Patty
- jocelyn
I had never made scones before, but followed your instructions and made scones that silenced a room. I had Irish people telling me they hadn’t had scones this good since Ireland. I fall asleep thinking about them. You must be some kind of evil genius!! 🙂 Thanks for the education.
I love scones. They are my favorite treat in winter time. I love to eat them with cream and jam. They are so yummy.
- ginny
Oh YAY! I am learning to check your blog each time I want a fabulous, well-researched, well-though-out recipe for one of the “basics”. 🙂 I’ve been using Alton Brown’s scone recipe, which is very similar to yours. His calls for 4 tbs butter, 2 tbs shortening, which I had changed to 6 tbs. butter. After many failed attempts (involving freezing and grating the butter, and kneading the dough), I bought a GOOD pastry cutter, and stopped kneading the dough. My scone quality increased DRAMATICALLY. But, now I am excited to see your “roll the butter in” technique, with the 2 letter folds! Even though I just made 2 batches of scones tonight, I will be making another in the near future following your recipe and technique. 🙂 Thank you!
Amazing post! I have only made scones once, and have also been bewildered by the wide variety of recipes claiming to be the best, and yet they are all very different…!!! After reading your post, I am encouraged to make some scones very soon – love your description of crispy outside, flaky inside…and now I feel capable of achieving it!!! Delicious instructions and the scones look fabulous!
- Susan S. Bradley
UrMomCooks, there certainly is a lot of latitude in the proportions of the key ingredients; now that you have the potential range, you should be able to arrive at your perfect scone. I tested the all cream formula yesterday (with cocoa added) and it still amazes me that it works. The scones were light, tender, and moist, although not flakey. It’s not my favorite scone but certainly respectable and perfect when ease and speed are of utmost importance.
You sure put a lot of work into this post. Thanks for sharing these amazing looking scones. Yummy!
- Susan S. Bradley
Nancy, thanks! 🙂
- Susan S. Bradley
Blake, I assure you that I surveyed the ENTIRE universe. 🙂 Perhaps your clients would like Candied Ginger Lemon Scones? Just add 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger, and finely grated zest of a large lemon to the dough AFTER you layer in the butter and before you add the liquid. They really are hevenly!
- eam
Wonderful–and just a day before Robert Burns’ birthday, too! Thank you! (I’m a Scot, born and bred and now living in the USA.) One point: English folks say “scone” as in “stone” but we who invented this delicacy (the Scots), say “scone” as in “gone.” Any who love this delightful basic of a genteel afternoon tea should take note and do the same. 😉 (Taking back the Colonies, one tea drinker and scone eater at a time…)
- Susan S. Bradley
Eam, I hit Robert Burn’s birthday? Seriously? How cool is that? 🙂 Thank you for the distinction between the pronunciations. Scon it is then. Also, I promote the afternoon tea ritual every chance I get. I consider it essential to sanity. 🙂
- Irene
Whoa, whoa, get out the way with that good information.
One post and I feel like I’ve found the definitive source of scone-making insights. I love the pastries here in Naples but they are very, very in love with their culinary traditions here. Years of loving American soldiers have allowed muffins and doughnuts to break through, but no scones!
I’m bookmarking this for future experimenting.
Joshua- Susan S. Bradley
Joshua, thank you! You can be the ONE to bring the scone (pronounced gone as Eam suggests above) to ITALY! You can do it. We have faith in you. 🙂
- Susan
You are my hero! This is the BEST treatise on scone making In The Entire Universe! I have read every scone technique and every recipe on every website I could Google, looked at every Youtube demo, and none of them explained it as concisely and pefectly as you have here. I’m new to appreciating the world of scones, Pft’ing them off as a bisquit with egg and sugar, until recently. This new obsession has sorely tested what I thought was my decent skill with dough (though I can make a decent bisquit..go figure!) I have produced leaden, dry and woefully thin wedges of barely edible particleboard that disintegrate on contact with knife or teeth. Now, with your help here, I think I get it! Thanks, Susan…I’ll love you forever for this! (I’ll let you know how I fare.)
- Susan
Oh, Susan my hero! I made a batch of these this afternoon and they were perfect. PERFECT! First, I had a little bit of a problem rolling the pin over the flour/butter mixture, but I fixed it before the second roll. I used one of my flexible cutting boards on top of the mixture and rolled the pin over that. At least I could scrap the buttery dough bits off with my bench scraper! I also took a clue from your picture of the dough before you cut the wedges. I patted it to a round that was an inch thick before cutting it. The baked outcome were lofty wedges of pure delight; just crisp on the outside and tender and flakey inside with just the right amount of sweetness. I added a loose teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest to the flour and tossed some candied ginger, finely diced with some of the flour, after the butter had been incorporated. They were heavenly. Outstanding instructions and perfectly balanced ingredients. Thank you so, so much! I feel accomplished!
- Susan S. Bradley
Susan, I am elated, thank you! 🙂 What a good idea to put something over the butter. Wax paper might also work. I made Candied Ginger & Lemon Scones too! I’ll share the recipe later but sounds like you have it down anyway. Also made Bacon and Cheddar Scones and Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Scones. The possibilities are endless.
- Susan S. Bradley
Susan, what a thrill to hear! 🙂 When I started the research, I couldn’t find complete directions anywhere either. Lots of recipes but only bits and pieces of technique. It’s so important to understand the foundations of a dish. Happy baking!
I have a serious thing for scones, so this info is so great to see. Thanks for posting this! Can’t wait to try your version. They look like perfection.
- Susan S. Bradley
Lisa, thank you. 🙂 Let me know how they turn out.
- astheroshe
That is an amazing wealth of info > Thank-you..mine always taste and feel like bricks!
- Susan S. Bradley
Astheroshe, your scones will never be bricks again, I assure you. 🙂
wow! you should have a PhD in scones with all the research that went into this post. If you still love scones after baking so many of them that’s a sign that you truly made the best scones in the universe.
- Susan S. Bradley
Sarah, now that my scones are perfected, I can’t seem to get enough of them. Good thing the freezer is full of several varieties. 🙂
- ProChef360
And more than likely the best butter curls in the entire universe. 🙂
Matthew
- Susan S. Bradley
Matthew, are you making fun of my butter curls? 🙂
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