Easy scones
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Easy scones
Buttery, soft and extra fluffy. Serve these British classics with a dollop of clotted cream and sweet jam for the perfect teatime treat
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
- 45g golden caster sugar, plus an extra pinch
- 2 medium eggs
- 175ml milk
- 350g self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt, plus an extra pinch
- 90g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 tsp icing sugar, to dust
To serve
- clotted cream
- jam of choice (we used raspberry)
Step by step
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In a medium bowl, beat together the sugar, 1 egg and milk. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the salt and butter and rub together with your fingertips until it reaches a breadcrumb-like texture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until it forms a ball – it will be quite sticky at first. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, then fold over a few times to form a loose dough but don’t knead. Wrap in clingfilm then transfer to the fridge for 45 minutes, or overnight.
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Roll out the dough to a 2.5cm thickness using a floured rolling pin, then cut into 6cm rounds using a scone cutter. Make sure you press firmly down rather than twisting. Place the rounds on a lined baking tray, arranging them close together. Return to the fridge for another 20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Beat the remaining egg with the extra pinch of sugar and salt, then brush over the scones. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until risen and golden brown on top. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before dusting with icing sugar and serving with clotted cream and jam.
What is the trick to making good scones?
It’s important that your butter is really cold. If it warms up when dicing, pop it into the freezer for a few minutes to firm up again. Cold butter is essential for giving a light, pillowy texture to your finished scones.
What is the 15-minute rule for scones?
Fifteen minutes is just about the perfect baking time for scones – but you’re also looking for the scones to be risen and golden-brown on top, so always keep an eye!
How to make scones lighter and fluffier?
Don’t overwork your dough! Handle it sparingly to make sure you get that light, fluffy texture after baking.
How long should you rest scones before baking?
We chill the dough for 45 minutes before rolling, and you can also rest it overnight. We also recommend chilling the dough for another 20 minutes before baking to firm up the dough again, ready to make perfect scones.
What is the best flour for scones?
Self-raising flour is the best for giving scones a good rise, and we’ve also used baking powder to give an extra lift for a super light, fluffy texture.
Looking for a cheese scones recipe?
Try our mature cheddar and herb scones recipe or cheesy courgette scones recipe – or explore our scones recipe collection!
