Scones make for the perfect weekend sweet treat, served with cream, jam and a lovely cup of tea. Instead of picking them up at the supermarkets, you could try baking them yourself. For those unsure where to start, baker Emma Duckworth, behind the food blog Emma Duckworth Bakes, has shared her “foolproof” recipe.
She said: “I’m sharing everything you need to know to make this foolproof scones recipe. A flaky, crisp exterior exposes a tender, buttery soft interior that melts away in your mouth. These traditional scones are heavenly for breakfast or afternoon tea”. This recipe for “big fluffy scones” is made better with 1 key ingredient — whole milk. Emma said, “I prefer full-fat milk due to the higher fat content, which adds more richness to the dough.”
Ingredients
375g self-raising flour
Half a teaspoon of fine salt
One teaspoon of baking powder
12g caster sugar
180ml whole milk, cold
One large egg, cold
One teaspoon of vanilla extract
90g unsalted butter, chopped and cold
Method
Start by lining a baking tray with parchment paper before grabbing a large mixing bowl and sifting in your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the sugar and stir together.
Whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Once whisked, set aside one tablespoon of the egg mixture — this will be your egg wash to be used later on.
Add in the chopped butter and, using your fingertips, coat the pieces until they are separated and coated with flour.
Using your fingertips, rub the flour and butter together until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Some pieces of butter can be left larger, until they are the “size of peas”.
Then, make a well in the dry mix and pour the whisked egg and milk mixture into the centre. Use a fork to stir until the mixture just starts to come together to form a dough.
It will still be very wet at this point and feel quite sticky. If necessary, use your hands to lightly bring it all together, incorporating the dry flour left at the bottom of the bowl.
Tip the scone mix onto a lightly floured surface and, using your hands, bring it together and gently flatten it out.
Use a folding technique to create flaky layers and incorporate air into the dough, and minimise kneading. Fold the dough in half and turn, then fold it in half again. Using your hands, shape and press the dough into a round disc or gently roll with a rolling pin until the dough is roughly 3cm thick.
Dip a 6cm cutter in flour and stamp out four to five rounds. Make sure that you don’t twist the cutter when pressing down, as this can make the scones wonky when they bake.
Gather any scraps and push them together with your hands until another disc is formed. Cut out as many rounds as you can with this leftover dough. Place the scones on the prepared baking tray so they’re just touching each other.
Refrigerate the tray for 30 minutes to rest the dough and preheat the oven in the meantime to 200°C.
Using the egg wash that you set aside earlier, brush the tops of the scones. Take care not to let any drip down the sides of the scones as this can inhibit their rise. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown and well risen.
