Classic British Scones
Tall, light scones for afternoon tea or a cream tea, ready in about 30 minutes.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Makes
- about 8 scones
- Difficulty
- Easy
A good scone is barely sweet, rises tall and splits cleanly in the middle. Three things matter most: cold butter, a light hand, and cutting straight down without twisting the cutter.
Ingredients
- 350gself-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- ¼tspsalt
- 1tspbaking powder
- 85gcold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3tbspcaster sugar
- 175mlwhole milk
- 1tspvanilla extract
- squeeze of lemon juice
- 1egg, beaten, to glaze
To serve
- strawberry jam
- clotted cream
Equipment
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- Digital kitchen scalesHow to chooseShop on Amazon UK(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- 6 cm round cutterHow to chooseShop on Amazon UK(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Baking trayBrowseShop on Amazon UK(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / gas 7 and put a baking tray inside to heat up.
- 2
Mix the flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar.
- 3
Warm the milk until just lukewarm, then add the vanilla and lemon juice. It will thicken slightly, which is fine.
- 4
Make a well in the flour and pour in the milk. Mix quickly with a cutlery knife until it just comes together into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- 5
Tip onto a floured surface and fold the dough over two or three times, no more. Pat it out to about 4 cm thick.
- 6
Dip a 6 cm cutter in flour and stamp straight down without twisting. Gently re-press the trimmings to cut more scones.
- 7
Brush the tops with beaten egg, lift onto the hot tray and bake for 10–12 minutes until risen and golden.
- 8
Cool on a wire rack and eat the same day, warm or at room temperature.
Tips
Jam or cream first? In Devon, cream then jam; in Cornwall, jam then cream. Both are correct in their own county.
Make ahead: freeze the cut, unbaked scones on a tray, then bag them. Bake from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes.
If it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Scones spread instead of rising | Dough too wet, or butter too warm | Use cold butter and add the last of the milk gradually |
| Scones rose lopsided | Cutter twisted, sealing the edge | Press straight down and lift straight up |
| Dense and tough | Over-kneaded dough | Fold two or three times only; stop as soon as it holds together |
Guides for this recipe
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