I love the smell of fresh baked pastries and breads like scones and Cinnamon Rolls that give that warm comforting feel to our home. These are the best because they’re simple to make and I always have the ingredients!
only 7 Ingredients in this Basic Scone Recipe
You only need 7-9 ingredients for my master scone recipe.
Flour: 2 cups of all-purpose flour is my standard amount, but you will need extra aside for the work surface and your hands.
Sugar: I stick with around ½ cup of sugar for this scone dough. Feel free to slightly decrease, but keep in mind that the scone flavor and texture will slightly change. Brown sugar works too. However, if using brown sugar, whisk it into the wet ingredients to get out all the lumps.
Baking Powder: Adds lift.
Salt: By removing salt you are removing flavour. Salt brings out the amazing flavour.
Butter: Besides flour, butter is the main ingredient in scones. It’s responsible for flakiness, flavor, crisp edges, and rise.
Heavy Cream or Buttermilk: For the best tasting pastries, stick with a thick liquid such as heavy cream or buttermilk. I usually use heavy cream, but if you want a slightly tangy flavor, use buttermilk. Thinner liquids change the flavor and appearance. You’ll be headed down a one way street to dry, bland, and flat scones.
Optional: Vanilla extract adds necessary flavor to sweet scones, but skip it if you’re making savory scones. Depending on the flavor, cinnamon is another go-to ingredient.
Combine ALL dry ingredients Grate Butter Use pastry fork, fingers to combine with pea shaped crumbs 
Roll onto floured surface. Cut into 8 slices.
why it is so important to keep ingredients COLD & Frozen grated Butter
Keeping scone dough as cold as possible prevents over-spreading. When scones over-spread in the oven, they lose the flaky, moist and crumbly texture that you are looking for in a scone. Just like that they are … RUINED. But to avoid this catastrophe is to use cold ingredients like cold heavy cream, egg, and butter. Frozen Grated Butter is where you will make the most progress.
The butter/Flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, releasing steam and creating air pockets. These pockets create a flaky center while keeping the edges crumbly and crisp Remember the finer the pieces of cold butter, the less the scones spread and the quicker the butter mixes into the dry ingredients. DO NOT OVERWORK SCONE DOUGH!
how to make irresistible scones:
1. Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. Cut in butter. Grate the frozen butter and add to dry mixture. Use a two knives, fork, hands or food processor to cut in the butter.
3. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together cream (or buttermilk which ever is available), and vanilla until well blended.
4. Gently Knead. Combine wet and dry mixture and filling of choice, and fold the ingredients in until it starts to come together in large clumps. Gently knead mixture by hand (in the mixing bowl) just a few times until it comes together in a ball.
5. Shape and cut dough. Dust a clean surface with flour and drop dough onto surface. Gently pat and shape into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18 – 24 minutes. These are best served the day they are prepared.
can these banana scones be made ahead?
Yes! Prepare the dough, cut into wedges, and refrigerate overnight before baking. When ready to bake off according to recipe.
can these be frozen?
Yes, these can be frozen!
You can prepare the dough and freeze prior to baking. To freeze dough, prepare and cut dough into wedges and place on baking sheet in freezer for 1 hour. Once frozen, layer in a freezer safe bag or storage container. When ready to make you can:
- Bake from frozen, keeping in mind that you’ll need to add a few extra minutes in the oven.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake as directed
You can also freeze baked-off scones that have cooled prior to drizzling on maple frosting. When ready to eat, allow frozen scone to come to room temperature on the counter or thaw overnight in the fridge. Serve warm by heating in the microwave of 30 seconds or heat through in a 300F oven for 10 minutes.
Check out the step by step process here
Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-purpose flour spoon and level
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 1½ stick, frozen
- ½ cup heavy cream or buttermilk cold. to ¾ cup depending on consistency *see notes
- 1 Teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups berries of choice
- OPTIONAL ground cinnamon or coarse sugar for toppings
Instructions
- Whisk flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter. Add it to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two knives, your fingers or if you are simply on the go use a food processor until the mixture comes together in crumbs. Place in refrigerator or freezer as you mix the wet ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 Celsius)
- Whisk ½ cup heavy cream (or buttermilk) and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the flour mixture mix together.
- Mix berries, only until combine do not over mix as berries could burst.
- Pour dough onto cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper). Dough will be sticky, if it’s too sticky, add a little more flour. If it seems too dry, add 1-2 more Tablespoons heavy cream. Press into a round disk, with a sharp knife cut into 7 to 8 wedges. If you prefer drop scones. Drop scones, about¼ cup of dough each.
- Brush scones with remaining heavy cream and for extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Place scones in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
- Bake for 18-24 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top.
- Leftover scones keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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