WHAT IS THE SECRET OF MAKING GOOD SCONES?
The recipe seems so simple, but the perfect Scone doesn’t come easy.

There are many little gritty things that can get in the way of achieving that all-buttery point of perfection.

Scones are supposed to be light, fluffy and soft interior with a little crisp to the edges and top.

Making Scones requires a VERY light touch.

Only use the tips of your fingers to rub in the butter into the flour, lightly lifting and dropping the mixture.

The trick is to use light pressure and only work the dough until it just comes together.

One common mistakes that causes Scones to be dry and tough is being too heavy-handed with the dough.

When you overwork the dough, your Scones can come out tough and chewy, rather than that desired light and crumbly texture.

If scones aren’t part of your baking repertoire, I suggest you give them a try.

They come together quicker than almost any other baked good and taste absolutely delicious 🤤

Scones are best served warm, with Clotted Cream and Strawbery Jam of course; And not forgetting a pot of good Earl Grey Tea.

If you cannot get Clotted Cream, you can try Crème Fraîche or Unsalted Butter; it goes quite well with Strawberry Jam.

The Cornish tradition is to cut the scone in half, so you have two flat rounds;
On each side, Jam is spread first and then the cream on top.
The Jam being spread first is what makes it the ‘Cornish way‘

I personally prefer the Royal Way
I would put Jam on first, with cream on top and then sandwich them together so it’s not overly sweet 😚

But ultimately, You can do what you want! 🤣😂
The scones will still be tasty 😍

Take a small bite and enjoy the happiness brought by the Scones … 🥰

Kindly follow all the tips and instructions in this recipe, I’m sure you’ll end up with tender, flaky Scones that will literally melt in your mouth.

😊 😍 HAPPY BAKING !!!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE “FLUFFY FLAKY BRITISH SCONES”

The Key to Perfect Scones (Please Read First) :

PREPARE A LARGE MIXING BOWL
Prepare a large bowl for making scones. You will need some space for the mixing process; this provides plenty of room to spread the butter and mix the dough easily.

USE COLD BUTTER STRAIGHT FROM THE FRIDGE
Make sure that the butter is extremely cold.
Cold butter promotes the flakiness, high-rise and fluffy scones.
I usually take the butter out of the fridge and cut it into large cubes right before I’m ready to mix the dough.
Don’t cut it too small or even grate it. That will make the butter melt faster and you’ll have trouble with a sticky dough.
If you keep the butter in larger pieces, you get flakiness.
Once it hits the oven, the dough around the butter starts to set, the butter melts, and steam from the water content puffs the layers apart.

COLD BUTTERMILK FOR TENDER SCONES
For the liquid, most recipes calls for Whipped Cream or Milk.
However, when the Scones are served with Clotted Cream or Butter and Jam, I found this combination way too rich and not tasty.
I prefer to use homemade Buttermilk for the Scones which is the key to softness and lightness.
Buttermilk makes the scones very tender, has a better crumb and provides a slightly tangy taste
To make it: simply mix regular cold milk with some lemon juice or white vinegar, then let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to curdle and thicken slightly before using.

SIFTING ALL THE DRY INGREDIENTS
Don’t skip this step, it helps to build a light texture

INCLUDE BAKING SODA TO THE RECIPE
Since we are using Buttermilk, Baking Soda is added to this recipe.
The acid in the Buttermilk reacts with the Baking Soda and produces Carbon Dioxide which helps the Scones rise.

DON’T OVERWORKED THE BUTTER
When you mix the Butter with the Dry Ingredients, don’t pinch or overworked the butter into too tiny pieces or you will end up with Scones that are soft but not flaky.

USE A FORK TO WHEN ADDING THE LIQUID
By using a fork, the liquid (Buttermilk) will evenly distribute without overmixing the dough.

A ROUGH PASTRY-STYLE FOR EXTRA FLAKINESS
For extra flakiness, do a “Rough Puff Pastry-Style” flattening and folding the dough.
Fold three to four times, Building in those layers.
DO NOT kneading or stretching the dough, we don’t want to develop gluten and have a very tough Scones.

SHAPE THE DOUGH INTO A THICK DISC
The thickness of your Scone dough is all important.
Before you cut, Shape the dough into a thick disc about 3-4 cm thick

DO NOT TWIST THE CUTTER
Remember when you cut it, don’t twist the cutter or the Scones will be lopsided (it won’t look pretty 😒)

COLLECT AND PRESS THE SCRAPES
After you cut the dough, you will have those little scraps.
DO NOT knead it!
What you can do is collect and press it together; stand the dough up and press again.
Press until it is 3 cm thick and then you can cut again.

APPLY SOME EGGWASH
To give the top of the Scones a bit of shine, apply some egg wash.
Avoid the sides and bottom because they will affect the rise.
This will give your Scones a nice golden brown finished.

BAKE WITH IDEAL TEMPERATURE AND TIME
Use 15 minutes of a Scones in oven as a good rule, you can’t foget about it! 🤖

Recipe

FLUFFY FLAKY BRITISH SCONES
Yield: 9 Scones (Diameter 5 cm, 3 cm Tall)

🍰 Ingredients
115 g Cold Unsalted Butter
150 g Cold Milk + 2 tsp Vinegar (to make Homemade Buttermilk)
335 g All-Purpose Flour
50 g Caster Sugar
1 ⅓ tsp Double-Acting Baking Powder
1/3 tsp Baking Soda
1/3 tsp Salt
Zest from 1 Lemon
(1 Egg for egg wash~beat the eggs)

🍰 Instructions
Preparation

1. Prepare a large bowl for making scones.
2. Right before you are ready to mix the dough, take the butter out of the fridge and cut it into large cubes.
   Don’t cut it too small or even grate it; that will make the butter melt faster and you’ll have trouble with a sticky dough.
3. Prepare Homemade Buttermilk
   Simply mix regular Cold Milk with Lemon Juice or White Vinegar; let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to curdle and thicken slightly before using.
   

To Make Scones Dough (Kindly watch the video for completed instructions)

1. Sift All the dry ingredients (All Purpose Flour, Caster Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt).
2. Add grated Lemon Zest; mix well.
3. Add Unsalted Butter in Cubes to the dry ingredients.
   Then, to incorporate the butter:
   – FIRST STEP
   Coat the butter with the flour,
   Using your fingers pinching and squishing the pieces of butter (broke down the butter into smaller pieces).
   Don’t pinch or overworked the butter into too tiny pieces or you will end up with scones that are soft but not flaky.
   – SECOND STEP
   Take a handful of the dough with the bits of butter and flatten it between your palms
   (this thin sheets of butter that’s once it enters the oven, it melts and releases steam, which leads to that magical texture) 
   When you feel between your hands all the butter pieces are flattened, you can start adding the liquid
4. Slowly pour in the Buttermilk.
   Stir gently with a fork (by using a fork, the liquid will evenly distribute without overmixing the dough).
5. Once you see the dough comes together, you can stop mixing it (if there are a few dry crumbs left, that’s okay).
6. Dust your work surface with some flour (not too much) and transfer the dough over.
7. Gather and press the dough together into a large ball, gather up any small crumbs (you can flour your hands lightly).
8. Then using a large scraper; do a rough Puff Pastry-Style flattening and folding the dough.
   Fold three to four times, building in those layers (DO NOT kneading or stretching the dough; because we don’t want to develop gluten and have a very tough Scones).
   * If you like to add some dried fruit, nuts or maybe fresh fruit, you can add while you building this layers.
9. Once it’s done, shape the dough into a thick disc about 3 cm thick
10. Cut into rounds with a 5 cm diameter floured round cutter (remember when you cut it, don’t twist the cutter or the scones will be lopsided). Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray.
    * Feel free to vary the cutter size a little bit, as long as the thickness is the same, it will bake at the same speed
11. After you cut the dough, now you have those little scraps. DO NOT knead these scraps.
    What you can do is collect and press it together; then stand the dough up and press again
    until it is 3 cm thick; And then you can cut again.
    * Do the same with the remaining dough (if there is only a little dough left, just shape it into a round with your hands.
12. To give the top of the Scones a bit of shine; using small brush apply some Egg Wash.
    Avoid the sides and bottom because they will affect the rise (this will give your Scones a nice golden brown finished).
13. Bake them in the preheated 200°C fan/ 220°C/ gas mark 7 for 15 minutes.
14. Once it’s done, you can serve them immediately (Scones are best enjoyed when still warm) or let them cool completely on a cooling rack before storing.

Notes

1. Scones are best enjoyed when fresh while still warm, but with proper storage they can extend their delight beyond the baking day while keeping safe to eat.
2. Storage Method Room temperature 1-2 days in a covered container away from heat and sunlight
3. Refrigerator Up to 3 days in an airtight container with a paper towel lining
4. Freezer Up to 1 months in a freezer bag or tightly wrapped in an airtight container
5. To preheat: In the preheated 180°C oven for 5-10 minutes or Microwave on high 10-20 seconds; They should be as good as freshly baked 😄.