There is a particular kind of magic in a plate of warm scones set down in the middle of a table with a pot of tea and a jar of strawberry jam. Everyone reaches in, everyone lingers, and suddenly the whole room slows down. That is exactly the feeling I chase with this recipe.
These plain scones are the ones I make most often. The batch makes 12 scones, takes about 10 minutes to prepare and about 10 minutes in the oven, so roughly 20 minutes from the moment you decide you want them.
They come out light and fluffy, ready for jam and cream, and they behave beautifully for afternoon tea, a brunch table, or a quiet Sunday afternoon with a friend who stayed longer than planned.
My love of scones started on a trip to London, where I discovered just how seriously the British take the ritual of afternoon tea. It was not a grand hotel affair for me.
It was a small tearoom, a chipped teacup and a plain scone split open with jam and cream, and I remember thinking that this was one of the most civilized things a person could do with an afternoon.
That combination has a proper name. Devonshire Tea is a plain scone served with jam and cream, and once you have eaten it that way, it is very hard to go back. What I love is how the ritual travels.
In Britain it is afternoon tea or high tea. In other parts of the world you find a version of the same idea, a small baked thing, a warm drink and a reason to sit still with someone you like.
Plain Scones With Strawberry Jam Recipe For Classic Afternoon Tea 24
Here is the trouble for me. I live in Zurich, where scones are not widely available. You can find beautiful bread, extraordinary pastries and chocolate that ruins you for anything else, but a proper scone is not sitting on the corner shelf.
So when I travel, I eat as many as I reasonably can, and when I am home, I bake.
These days the scones happen in my own kitchen, usually on a weekend morning, usually with the kettle already on. A warm scone beside a cup of tea or coffee is my idea of bliss, and I suspect it might be yours too.
Why This Recipe Works
Three things make this recipe a keeper in my kitchen.
It is quick. The dough comes together in about 10 minutes, so scones are a realistic idea on a weekday, not just a weekend project.
The texture is right. Light and fluffy, with a soft crumb that splits open instead of crumbling apart.
It freezes beautifully. A batch can be frozen and baked straight from frozen, so you can keep scones on standby for unexpected visitors.
Easy Scone Recipe
Scones are genuinely simple, and if you do not mind getting your hands into the flour, a batch can be made and served in less than 30 minutes. That is the whole appeal. No chilling, no proving, no waiting around for dough to rise.
For years my go to was Lily’s Scones from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess. It makes lovely fluffy scones and I still recommend it wholeheartedly. There was just one problem.
It calls for cream of tartar, which is difficult to source in Zurich, even though it is a common pantry item in the UK, the US and Australia. I got tired of hunting for it.
So I started experimenting. I tried recipes that were too dry, recipes that were too cakey, and one that produced something closer to a rock than a scone.
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Eventually I landed on this version, which keeps everything I loved about my old favorite and drops the ingredient I could not find.
It relies on baking powder alone, uses a mix of cold butter and a little lard or vegetable shortening for extra softness, and comes together quickly in one bowl.
If you are new to baking, this is a good place to start. There is nothing delicate about the process, and the only real skill involved is knowing when to stop handling the dough.
How to Make Scones
Read through the whole method once before you start. It is short, but a couple of small habits make the difference between a tender scone and a tough one.
You will need a baking tray, a round cutter (a teacup or a small glass works too), and either a stand mixer with the flat paddle attachment or simply your fingertips.
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For the Scones
Amount
Plain flour (all purpose flour)
500 g (3 1/3 cups)
Fine salt
6 g (1 teaspoon)
Caster sugar (superfine sugar)
25 g (2 tablespoons)
Baking powder
10 g (2 teaspoons)
Unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
50 g (1/2 stick)
Lard or vegetable shortening, optional, or simply use more butter
25 g (1 1/2 tablespoons)
Milk
250 to 300 ml (1 cup plus 3 tablespoons)
For the egg wash you need 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. For the Chantilly cream you need 250 ml (1 cup) double cream, also sold as heavy cream, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons of caster sugar or vanilla sugar if you like.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F), without the fan. If you cook with a convection oven, adjust accordingly.
Place a baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven to warm up while you make the dough.
Place the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the cold butter and the lard or vegetable shortening, and mix briefly with the flat paddle attachment until the mixture resembles damp sand. You can also do this by hand, rubbing the fats into the flour with your fingertips.
Slowly add the milk and mix everything quickly. You may not need all of it. Add just enough until the mixture comes together into a rough dough, and try not to overwork it, because overworked dough leads to tough scones later.
Tip the dough onto a floured surface and pat it into a rectangle or a circle about 3 cm (1 inch) high. Do not knead it.
Cut out your scones with a round cutter, dipping it into flour first so the dough does not stick. A teacup or a small glass works just as well. I use a 6 cm (2.5 inch) cutter with a crinkled edge to make fairly small scones.
Make them as small or as large as you like, adjusting the baking time to match. Gently reshape the offcuts, but handle the dough as little as possible.
Arrange the scones close together on the baking tray.
Beat the egg and milk together for the egg wash and brush it over the tops of the scones.
Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size, until they are lovely and golden.
If you want to be certain the scones are cooked right through, push a digital thermometer into the centre of one. It should read about 85°C (185°F).
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Closer together means softer. When the scones sit snugly on the tray they rise and lean into each other, and the sides that touch stay tender instead of forming a hard crust. If you prefer a crunchier coating, space them apart on the tray instead.
Either way, cover the warm scones with a clean tea towel as they cool. The trapped steam keeps the tops soft, which is exactly what you want if you are not eating them immediately.
To make the Chantilly cream, place the cream and sugar into a large bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. The cream should be soft but still able to hold its shape. Serve the scones warm with the cream and a generous spoonful of strawberry jam.
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A few notes from my kitchen. The recipe halves neatly if you want a smaller batch. If you keep butter in the freezer, grate it straight into the dry ingredients instead of cubing it.
Scones are best on the day they are baked, though they still taste fresh for a day or two if you wrap each one individually.
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To bake from frozen, prepare the scones up to the point where they are arranged on the tray, freeze them in bags, then bake them from frozen and add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
Per serving: 219 kcal, 33.8 g carbohydrates, 5.5 g protein, 6.6 g fat, 1.1 g fiber, 1.4 g sugar, 420.6 mg sodium and 20 mg cholesterol.
How to Eat Scones
Apparently this is a controversial subject, and I love that people have strong feelings about it. Here is my method, offered with full awareness that someone in Devon or Cornwall would like a word.
First, do not reach for a knife. Split the scone gently with your hands so the fluffy layers inside stay intact. A knife presses the crumb down and flattens the very texture you worked to create. It is a small thing, but you will notice it.
Then spread a little jam on each half, and finish with a dollop of clotted cream, whipped cream or Chantilly cream. Jam first, always, in my kitchen, because cream first makes the jam slide straight off the top.
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If you are skipping cream altogether, a generous spread of butter is a fine substitute, especially on a warm scone where it melts into every crumb. Add jam on top and you have something close to perfect with a cup of tea.
Some people eat them plain, straight from the tray, still steaming, and honestly that is a legitimate way to live.
What to Serve with Scones
A plain scone is a blank canvas, so the accompaniments matter. These are the ones I keep coming back to.
Apricot jam
Homemade clotted cream
Lemon curd
Peach and raspberry jam
Strawberry jam
Any one of them turns a simple batch of scones into a proper spread for guests.
Update
This recipe has been updated over time with clearer notes on handling the dough, the tea towel trick for keeping the tops soft, and baking from frozen. The ingredients, quantities, method and timings stay the same. If you have made these scones before, the only new habit worth adopting is the thermometer check at 85°C (185°F).
FAQs
What is the secret to making fluffy scones?
The key to fluffy scones is to handle the dough as little as possible and use very cold butter and lard or vegetable shortening. Overworking the dough develops gluten, which leads to tough scones, so mix the ingredients only until they come together into a rough dough.
What is the difference between scones and biscuits?
American-style biscuits are typically made with buttermilk and less sugar, resulting in a savory, flaky texture. British-style scones, like this recipe for plain scones, are slightly sweeter and use a higher proportion of fat, often enriched with an egg wash for a golden, crisp crust.
Can you freeze unbaked scones?
Yes, you can freeze unbaked scones. Prepare the recipe up to the point of cutting the scones, then freeze them in a single layer on a baking tray before transferring them to a freezer bag. They can be baked directly from frozen, adding an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
How do you keep scones light and tender?
To keep scones light and tender, never knead the dough and avoid twisting the cutter when stamping out the scones. A straight push down and lift yields the best rise. Also, covering warm scones with a clean tea towel as they cool traps steam and prevents a hard crust from forming.
Plain Scones There is a particular kind of magic in a plate of warm scones set down in the middle of a table with a pot of tea and a jar of strawberry jam. Everyone reaches in, everyone lingers, and suddenly the whole room slows down.
Total Time:20 min
Yield:12 scones 1x
Ingredients
Scale
For the Scones 500 g plain flour 6 g fine salt 25 g caster sugar 10 g baking powder 50 g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes 25 g lard or vegetable shortening 250–300 ml milk
For the Egg Wash 1 egg 1 tablespoon milk
For the Chantilly Cream 250 ml double cream 1–2 teaspoons caster sugar
Instructions
For the Scones 1-Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F) (without: Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F) (without fan). 2-Place a baking tray in the middle: Place a baking tray in the middle shelf of the oven to warm up while you are making the scones. 3-Place the flour, salt, sugar and baking: Place the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into the bowl of a KitchenAid or stand mixer. 4-Add the butter and lard (or vegetable: Add the butter and lard (or vegetable shortening), and briefly mix with the flat paddle attachment until the mixture resembles damp sand. Alternatively, you can do this by hand by simply rubbing the fats into the flour with your fingertips. 5-Slowly add the milk and quickly mix: Slowly add the milk and quickly mix everything together. You may not need all of the milk – just add enough milk until the mixture just comes together into a rough dough. Try not to overwork the dough as this may lead to tough scones later. 6-Place the dough onto a floured work: Place the dough onto a floured work surface and pat it into a rectangle or circle shape about 3 cm (1 inch) high. 7-Cut your scones with a round cutter: Cut your scones with a round cutter. You could also use a teacup or small glass to shape your scones. Dip the cutter into some flour to prevent the dough from sticking to it. 8-You can make the scones as little: You can make the scones as little or as big as you like, adjusting the baking time accordingly. I use a 6 cm (2.5 inch) crinkle-edged cookie cutter to make fairly small scones. 9-Lightly re-shape the dough as necessary, but: Lightly re-shape the dough as necessary, but try to handle the dough as little as possible. 10-Arrange the scones closely together on a: Arrange the scones closely together on a baking tray. 11-Make an egg wash by lightly beating: Make an egg wash by lightly beating together the egg and milk. 12-Brush the scones with some egg-wash: Brush the scones with some egg-wash. 13-Bake the scones in the oven for: Bake the scones in the oven for about 10-15 minutes (depending on size), or until they are lovely and golden. 14-You may need to test a scone: You may need to test a scone to make sure that it is fully cooked through in the centre. A digital thermometer inserted in the centre of a scone should read about 85°C (185°F). 15-These scones are best served hot or: These scones are best served hot or warm, but they are also lovely served at room temperature. 16-Serve the scones with some Chantilly Cream: Serve the scones with some Chantilly Cream (recipe below) and strawberry jam. 17-To stop the scones from developing a: To stop the scones from developing a hard crust as they cool, cover the warm scones with a clean tea towel. The steam trapped under the tea towel will help to keep the scones soft.
For the Chantilly Cream 18-Place the cream and sugar into a: Place the cream and sugar into a large bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. 19-The cream should be soft, but still: The cream should be soft, but still be able to hold its shape.
Last Step:
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