How To Make English Scones

When you first taste an authentic British scone, you may mistake it for a biscuit. (Except if you're from the southern United States, where biscuit-making is an art.) Certainly, no genuine scone could mislead a Southerner into thinking it was a biscuit. However, you cannot deny that the two are comparable.

Biscuits and scones include the same fundamental ingredients: flour, leavening, a little salt, some oil, milk, and maybe sugar. Similarly, the procedure consists of cutting the fat into the dry ingredients, adding the liquid, rolling, and baking. The distinction comes down to subtle differences in texture and presentation.

Compared to biscuits, scones are denser, slightly drier, and more crumbly. Additionally, they often contain significantly less butter than biscuits.

Although biscuits presumably originated from the British scone, they have evolved to become the scone's buttery relative. Due to the additional butter, biscuits should be light and airy, with layers of tenderness.

How To Make British Scones:

So, if you can make biscuits, you can certainly make scones.

Simple pantry staples are used to create scone dough. Therefore, it is possible to produce scones at an alarming rate. The only difference between making biscuits and scones is that for scones, we use our hands to incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients. This generates a thin, sandy texture that contributes to the scones' signature texture. (For biscuits, we cut the butter into the dry ingredients, leaving larger chunks of butter in place to create layers of flavorful butter.)

These mouthwatering treats, sometimes known as biscuits or scones, are ideal for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Simply remember the jam and clotted cream! If you have clotted cream and jam on hand, a traditional British scone is the ideal companion to a hot cup of tea.

PREP TIME: 25 minutes

COOK TIME: 12 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 37 minutes

Ingredients

· 2 c unbleached all-purpose flour

· 2 Tbsp sugar

· 4 tsp baking powder

· ½ tsp salt

· 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold

· ⅔ c milk

· 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of milk (to glaze)

· Strawberry jam, (to serve)

· Cream coagulated at ambient temperature (to serve)

Instructions

1. Set the oven temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Rub the butter into the ingredients with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3. Add the milk gradually, mixing as you go, until the dough comes together and there are no lingering lumps. ( Your dough should be quite tacky. If the dough does not reach the desired consistency with the specified amount of milk, continue adding milk until the dough reaches the desired consistency.

4. Spoon the dough onto a surface dusted with flour. Dust the dough generously with flour and knead it two or three times to coat it with flour and smooth the surface. Press the dough into a circle with a thickness of approximately 1 inch.

5. Using a well-floured cookie cutter, cut 2-inch circles from the dough. (Be sure to press the cookie cutter down and up in a straight line. (Twisting the cookie cutter will have an effect on the rise of the scones.)

6. Place the rounds on a buttered baking sheet dusted with flour. Coat them with the egg yolk and milk mixture using a light hand.

7. The scones should be baked for 12 to 15 minutes, until brown and firm.

8. Remove the scones from the oven and allow them to cool for thirty minutes (if you can resist). If you prefer softer scones, cover them while they cool with a clean tea towel.

Notes

This biscuit dough freezes wonderfully. We prefer to freeze pre-cut dough circles for baking convenience (just thaw and bake as directed).

Alternately, the baked scones may be frozen and then reheated in a low oven for 5 to 10 minutes after defrosting on the counter.