English Style Scones
These English Style Scones bake up light, tall and fluffy, and are a wonderful treat for breakfast or afternoon tea. Spread them with jam, clotted cream, butter, or simply eat them plain. They’re so delicious!
To this day, if you go to my childhood home and open up the refrigerator, you will find bags of scones in there, made by a bakery called Sconehenge. Located in Berkeley, California, I devoured these absurdly delicious scones all throughout my childhood.
My dad still has access to these scones since he lives in the Bay Area, but it has been 11 years since I lived in California.
As in, my enjoyment of them has been limited to brief Christmas and summer visits.
I remember a few years ago I tried to recreate these scones, and searched the internet endlessly with phrases like “Sconehenge recipe,” Sconehenge copycat recipe” and “how to make Sconehenge scones.”
Nothing came up. It made me crazy!!! I couldn’t figure out how these scones were so different…soft, fluffy, pillows of wonder.
The mystery was finally solved when I went to England last month and tasted an English Style Scone.
I took one bite and thought, THIS TASTES LIKE SCONEHENGE!
Then the “duh” moments poured in. Sconehenge…a riff on Stonehenge…which is in England…oh gosh.
The things you realize AFTER the dots have been connected.
Well, the good news is now I know how to make these delightful scones. They’re English style!
English scones are made differently from American scones, and instead of being stiff and dry, they’re fluffy and soft. A lot of people think these look like biscuits, and they kind of do, but they’re prepared quite differently.
How to make English Scones:
Start by placing all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a food processor, then add softened butter:
That’s the first difference between English style scones and both biscuits and American-style scones. Biscuits and American scones both use cold butter that’s rubbed or “cut” into the dry ingredients.
Pulse the food processor ingredients until the softened butter is well incorporated into the flour.
You see that unlike a pie crust, we don’t have big pieces of butter in the flour.
Rather, it has a sandy, soft texture:
Dump this mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Whisk together milk and an egg, save 2 tbsp for the egg wash later, then add the rest to the dry ingredients:
Stir together with a spatula, then when it’s roughly combined, dump it onto the counter:
The mixture will be wet, but resist the urge to add too much excess flour, since this will make the scones drier.
Lightly flour the dough, then knead it until it smooths out a bit, just a few times:
You can see that it’s still sticky, and there are bits sticking to my counter. Again, this is important for a hydrated dough, a soft texture, and good rise.
As with anything involving flour, try not to knead too much, or excess gluten will develop and make the scones tough, and also prevent them from rising as high.
Roll the dough about an inch thick:
Use a 2.5″ cutter to cut circles, then place them on a silicone mat lined baking sheet. Make sure not to twist the cutter at all when cutting the circles. Push straight down, otherwise they won’t rise as tall.
How to freeze scones:
If you want, you can freeze the unbaked scone circles, then when you’re ready to eat, bake from frozen at the same temperature for about 5 extra minutes.
You can also just freeze completely baked scones, and let them thaw to room temperature when you’d like to eat them. Bread and baked goods tend to freeze beautifully.
Before baking, brush with the reserved egg wash:
After a trip into the oven, they’ll be puffed and golden brown:
Serve with strawberry jam (here’s a quick strawberry jam recipe I have), and clotted cream for extra bonus points.
Butter is of course lovely too.
For savory scones, try these Cheddar Chive Scones, or these Homemade English Muffins.
Banana Bread and Pumpkin Muffins are some of my other favorite homemade baked goods.
Scones Tips:
What if my dough is too sticky? As noted above, it’s normal for the dough to be a little bit sticky, but it should still be workable. If it’s not workable, this is probably either because there’s not enough flour, or the butter got too warm. So first, try to weigh the flour if possible. There is already so much variation between cup measuring and brands, and weighing the flour will help ensure proper proportions. Next, try to assess if the dough needs more flour, or if it’s too warm. For example, if the butter you used is softened above 70 degrees F (or if you used the microwave softening feature for a bit too long), the butter may be too warm by the time you’re working with it. Popping the dough into the fridge will firm the butter slightly, and may help you roll it out. Or, you can add just enough flour to the outside to roll it out, then cut the pieces.
How to reheat scones: Bake in a 300F oven for 5-10 minutes, until warmed through. You can also cut them in half and toast them.
Can scones be made ahead? Yes. Like any baked good, these are best fresh, but they’re still fantastic the next day. Reheat them per the instructions above, or bake from frozen.
How to freeze scones: You can either freeze scones baked or unbaked. To freeze baked scones, let them cool to room temperature, then freeze in an airtight bag for up to 2 months. To freeze unbaked scones, make the recipe up to cutting the dough circles, then bake the circles straight from frozen for 5 extra minutes, or until cooked through.
Why did my scones not rise as high as yours? First, make sure you’re using fresh baking powder, one that has been opened less than 6 months ago. Also, if you knead the dough too much, the scones won’t rise as tall. Knead gently, and just enough to bring the dough together. Adding more flour also prevents the dough from rising as high, so only dust lightly.
How long will scones keep? At room temperature, for a few days. In the fridge, for a couple weeks. In the freezer, a couple months.
What to serve with scones: Jam, clotted cream, and butter are my favorites.
Here’s a video I made for the scones, if you’d like some more visuals on the process:
Enjoy!
English Style Scones
Ingredients
For the Scones:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (10 ounces by weight)
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a food processor, pulse the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar a couple times to combine.
- Add the butter and pulse 7-10 times until the butter is completely distributed. You shouldn’t see any chunks of butter, and the mixture should have a sandy texture to it. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine the milk and egg. Save 2 tbsp of it for the egg wash later, and pour the rest into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Stir to combine with a spatula, until a rough dough forms.
- Transfer to a lightly floured countertop and knead about 10 times until the dough comes together into a relatively smooth ball. Take care not to knead too much, or the dough will be tougher and not rise as high.
- Roll the dough about an inch thick and use a 2.5″ cutter to cut about 7 circles. Re-roll the scraps and cut out another 2.
- Place the scones onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet and brush the tops with the reserved egg wash.
- Bake the scones for 13-15 minutes, until about tripled in height, and golden brown on the tops and bottoms. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
Post updated in November 2018. Originally published August 2015.
483 Comments on “English Style Scones”
This is the best scone recipe I have ever made – and so easy! So glad I found it! I have made it a few times now and always perfect. I even made the dough the night before and kept it in the fridge and they turned out great.
Thanks, Sarah! I’m sure others will find your hint about making the dough the day before quite useful. Thanks for sharing. Happy baking!
Tried this recipe and it turned out absolutely delicious especially since we enjoy visiting the Uk and going to the tea shops for scones and tea! Not cakes or sandwiches only the scones with the jam and double Devon cream!!! Oh delicious!! Thank you!
Being raised by British parents I had the scene recipe memorized by 6. I rarely buy scones because I rarely find a version even close to what I was raised with. This recipe is extreamly close to the one I use. However I often add raisins or currants or mixed dried fruit to jazz them up for my none clotted cream friends. I have also added grated cheese and even crumbled bacon and caramelized onions to make breakfast or take for your lunch versions for my kids.
I’ve seen one recipe of yours where you say you used einkorn (believe it was sourdough blueberry muffins) – have you tried these with einkorn. Wondering the success of them, if so? TIA
I personally haven’t, but hopefully someone can chime in here!
Just made my first batch of these, they are incredible! Thank you for the recipe. So tasty with freshly whipped cream, strawberry jam and a strong cuppa.
One question: how can I make it more crumbly in the middle? It was still a little soft after the scones cooled down. I took them out when the tops turned brown and the sides were hard/biscuit like, about 13min in a 200C fan forced oven.
Ich war lange auf der Suche nach einem Sconesrezept, das nach Urlaub schmeckt. Diese Scones sind perfekt und erinnern mich an England. Vielen Dank
I just pulled this recipe out of my oven and to say I am excited is an understatement. They are perfect! The most authentic english scone flavor and texture. Thank you!
Good, I tried it, thanks a lot, only thing scones always have an aftertaste of baking powder.
I’ve used this recipe approximately a millions times and the scones always turn out perfect. I always pair these with clotted cream and jam and a cup of tea.