This English Scones Recipe makes airy, fluffy and light biscuits that pair wonderfully with fruit preserves, or jam and whipped cream. And they’re so easy and fun to make!
Just the other day, my mom surprised us with a batch of freshly baked English-style scones for brunch, and they were so good! They’re easily one of my favorite breakfast and teatime treats of all time.
So I decided to share the recipe she used (with a tweak of my own here and there), because it’s become my new go-to scone recipe for the butteriest, fluffiest, airiest scones ever.
Table of Contents
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Easy Scones Recipe Ingredients
All purpose flour: My mom prefers to use self-raising flour in this recipe, but I used all purpose flour for convenience.
Sugar: I used castor sugar in the scone dough, because it’s readily available where I live, but you can use fine or powdered sugar (not icing sugar).
Baking powder: Gives the freshly baked scones their light and fluffy texture.
Salt: To balance the sugar in the dough mixture.
Butter: I don’t recommend swapping out the butter, because you’ll miss out on the authentic melt-in-the-mouth buttery flavor that defines English scones.
Milk: To bind the dough. It also adds to the richness of these homemade biscuits.
Eggs: The eggs help to stabilize the dough, and add to the airiness and taste of the scones.
How to make British Scones: Step by step
Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Baking Sheet
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 2: Make The Fluffy Scone Dough
In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, mixing well.
Add the cold butter into the flour mixture.
Using your hands, rub handfuls of the butter and flour mixture between your fingertips to create large coarse crumbs.
Whisk the milk and eggs together and set aside.
Pour in the milk and egg mixture, and mix roughly with a fork until just combined.
Avoid overmixing, for a fluffy scone.
Step 3: Roll The Dough
Turn the dough out onto a clean and floured counter surface.
Flatten the dough with your fingertips and roll with a rolling pin to 1 inch thickness.
Cut out circles of dough with a round cookie cutter, making sure not to wiggle the cutter back and forth, and arrange the scones on the lined baking sheet.
Reshape the leftover dough, roll to 1 inch thickness again, and cut out the remainder of the scones.
Step 4: Brush and Bake
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together, and brush the tops with the egg wash, avoiding the sides of the scones.
Bake for about 11-18 minutes (depending on your oven) until barely golden brown and the scones have risen. Let them cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet.
Transfer them to a cooling rack, and serve hot, with butter, jam, and whipped cream.
Fluffy Scones Recipe Tips
Don’t be tempted to overmix the scone mixture. You don’t want a perfectly smooth dough – lumps are fine.
Cut the cold butter into little cubes to make it easier to create crumbs with the flour and sugar.
Use a round cookie or dough cutter with a height of 1 ½ inches or more, so that the cutter makes the cut all the way through the dough.
Make a clean cut for even scone, or flour the cutter before each cut, to prevent sticking.
Don’t wiggle the cutter clockwise and anti-clockwise because this movement “seals” the sides of the scone, preventing it from rising as expected.
Storing Homemade Scones
If you have leftover scones, store them in a cookie jar, or in an airtight container, to preserve their freshness.
I do recommend reheating scones before serving, to revive the buttery texture and recreate the effect of freshly baked scones.
English Scones Recipe
Ingredients
For the Scone Dough:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar fine or castor
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter cold and cubed
- 1 ½ cup milk
- 2 eggs large
- For the egg wash:
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 egg large
- 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
For The Scone Dough:
- In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, mixing well.
- Add the cold butter into the flour mixture. Using your hands, rub handfuls of the butter and flour mixture between your fingertips to create large coarse crumbs.
- Whisk the milk and eggs together and set aside.
- Pour in the milk and egg mixture, and mix roughly with a fork until just combined. Avoid overmixing, for a fluffy scone.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean and floured counter surface. Flatten the dough with your fingertips and roll with a rolling pin to 1 inch thickness.
- Cut out circles of dough with a round cookie cutter, making sure not to wiggle the cutter back and forth, and arrange the scones on the lined baking sheet.
- Reshape the leftover dough, roll to 1 inch thickness again, and cut out the remainder of the scones.
For the Egg Wash:
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together, and brush the tops with the egg wash, avoiding the sides of the scones.
- Bake for about 11-18 minutes (depending on your oven) until barely golden brown and the scones have risen.
- Let them cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet, transfer to a cooling rack, and serve hot, with butter, jam, and whipped cream.
