British Scones

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These British scones are light, fluffy, and more like an American biscuit than the dry, crumbly scones you might be used to. They're perfect with clotted cream and jam for an English-style afternoon tea.

Prep Time20

Cook Time12

Total Time32

Course: Bread, Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: British

Servings: scones

Calories: 223kcal

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
¼ cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder aluminum-free or regular
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
⅔ cup whole milk
1 large egg

Optional for Serving

jam, clotted cream, or softened butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. with an oven rack set in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set it aside.
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt.
Grate the cold butter into the mixture and pulse about 8 times (or as needed) until the butter is distributed and the mixture has a sandy texture. Transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the milk. Measure out and reserve 2 tablespoons of this mixture to a small bowl to use as an egg wash later.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the remaining milk and egg mixture into the center. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until it begins to come together into a rough dough. Flour your hands and work the dough in the bowl just until you can form it into a rough ball and all of the dry mixture has been picked up from the bottom of the bowl (it won’t be smooth - don’t overwork).
Scatter a small amount of flour over a cutting board and transfer the dough to the board. Work the dough again, forming it with your hands into a neat, somewhat smooth ball. Sprinkle the top of the ball of dough with a very small amount of flour (to prevent the rolling pin from sticking) and roll it out to a circle about 1- inch thick and no less than ¾-inch thick.
Use a 2 ½-inch biscuit cutter to cut as many circles as you can - about 4. Make sure not to twist the cutter at all when cutting the circles. Push straight down toward your work surface, otherwise they may not rise as tall. Pull together the dough scraps and roll them out twice more to cut the remaining 4 scones (I usually get 4, 3, 1 with a total of 3 roll-outs).
Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the reserved egg wash.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until they’ve risen and are light golden brown on the tops and deeper golden brown on the bottoms. Immediately transfer the scones to a serving platter or a wire rack (remove from the baking sheet to prevent bottoms from browning any further.)
Serve warm with jam and clotted cream.

Notes

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

Scones are best baked fresh and served warm. If you are baking them in advance, I recommend warming them briefly in the oven set to 300 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes or very briefly in the microwave. They can be stored at room temperature or frozen for a longer life.

Room Temperature: Transfer cooled scones to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place for a day or two.

Freeze: You can freeze baked scones in an airtight container for up to 1 month. To serve, just unwrap and thaw them at room temperature for about an hour and reheat as directed above. You can also freeze the cut-out, unbaked scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to a bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, cook them directly from frozen, adding an extra 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time.

Nutrition