A warm scone with jam and cream is one of the great British pleasures, and homemade ones are streets ahead of anything shop-bought. The whole thing takes about quarter of an hour to put together.
The secret to a tall, light scone is cold butter, a light hand, and cutting them out without twisting. The recipe is below, with fruit and cheese variations and more on why those things matter underneath it.
How to Make Scones: A Classic UK Recipe
Makes 8 scones
Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Makes
8 scones
Ingredients
Dry
Rubbed in
The rest
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7) and line a baking tray.
- 2
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- 3
Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, lifting the mixture to aerate it and working quickly so the butter stays cold.
- 4
Stir in the sugar, and the sultanas if you're making fruit scones.
- 5
Beat the egg in a jug and top it up with milk to 175ml, adding the lemon if using. Hold a little back for glazing.
- 6
Make a well, add most of the liquid, and cut it through with a knife to a soft, shaggy dough, adding the rest only if it's dry.
- 7
Turn onto a floured surface and fold just two or three times to bring it together, no more.
- 8
Pat it out to 2.5 to 4cm thick, which is thicker than feels right, then cut with a floured cutter, pressing straight down without twisting.
- 9
Gather and gently re-pat the scraps to cut the rest. Brush the tops only with the reserved glaze and rest for 15 minutes.
- 10
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden. Cool a little on a rack.
Cook’s notes
- White self-raising flour is the standard for a light scone. For a wholemeal version, swap up to half the flour for wholemeal and add a splash more milk; it'll be nuttier and a touch denser, so keep it thick.
- Never twist the cutter. A clean, straight cut is what lets the scones climb evenly.
- Glaze the tops only. Glaze that runs down the sides sets hard and pins the rise.
- Cheese variation: drop the sugar to a teaspoon and stir in 100g grated mature cheddar with a pinch of mustard powder or cayenne.
- For extra lift, use buttermilk, or milk soured with a squeeze of lemon, in place of some of the milk; the acid boosts the rise.
- Freeze cut, unbaked scones on a tray then bag them, and bake from frozen adding a few minutes.
What you’ll need
- Large mixing bowl
- A sharp 5 to 6cm cutter
- Baking tray
Troubleshooting
They're heavy and dense.
The butter or your hands were too warm, or the dough was overworked. Keep everything cold and handle it as little as possible.
They came out tough and chewy.
Too much mixing built gluten. Fold two or three times only and stop while the dough is still shaggy.
They rose lopsided.
The cutter was twisted, or the dough was patted unevenly. Press straight down, and pat to a level thickness.
They're flat with no rise.
Patted too thin, the oven wasn't hot, or the raising agent is stale. Go thicker, preheat fully, and use fresh baking powder.
They spread outwards instead of up.
The dough was too wet, or the cutter was over-floured. Firm the dough slightly and tap off the excess flour.
More about scones
Why cold butter and a light hand. Solid flecks of cold butter melt in the oven and release steam, which pushes up flaky layers. If the butter warms and the dough is worked hard, the fat smears and the gluten toughens, giving a heavy, cakey scone.
Why you don't twist the cutter. A scone rises from its cut edges. A sharp, straight push keeps those edges open, while twisting drags and seals them, forcing a lopsided or stunted rise.
The raising agents. Self-raising flour is plain flour with baking powder already blended in, the everyday UK default. Some bakers add a little extra baking powder as insurance, and buttermilk or soured milk brings acidity that reacts with it for more spring and a slight tang. Steam from the milk and melting butter does the final work, which is why a hot oven matters.
Thickness is height. Scones barely spread, so they come out roughly as tall as you pat them in. Aim for 2.5 to 4cm and resist the urge to roll them thin.
Frequently asked questions
Written by
UK Homesteading Team
Editorial team
The UK Homesteading editorial team, offering UK-specific, evidence-led guidance on growing, keeping, preserving and the law.
