Soft inside, lightly crisp on the edges, and ready in under 30 minutes—these classic scones are beginner-friendly and use pantry staples.

At a Glance

• Prep: 10 mins
• Bake: 12–15 mins
• Total: ~25 mins
• Makes: 8 large or 12 small scones

What You’ll Need

Equipment: Mixing bowl, whisk, box grater (or pastry cutter), spatula, baking tray, parchment paper, round cutter (optional).

Ingredients (Room-Temp Unless Stated)

• 250 g cake flour (2 cups)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda (bicarb)
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 40 g white sugar (3 Tbsp) – optional for sweeter scones
• 60 g cold unsalted butter (¼ cup), diced or grated
• 160–190 ml cold milk (⅔–¾ cup) or half milk/half buttermilk
• 1 large egg (for richer scones; optional—see notes)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• For brushing: 2 Tbsp milk or 1 beaten egg

Quick swap: If using buttermilk, omit baking soda only if your baking powder is double-acting; otherwise keep it for lift.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Line a tray with parchment.
2. Dry mix: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
3. Rub in butter: Grate or cut in the cold butter until the mix looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits (those melt into flaky layers).
4. Add liquids: Whisk milk (and egg/vanilla if using). Pour most into the bowl; gently fold with a spatula until the dough just comes together. If dry, add remaining liquid a teaspoon at a time. Don’t overmix.
5. Shape: Tip onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 2.5–3 cm thick round. For tall scones, keep it thick.
6. Cut: Use a floured 5–6 cm cutter (straight down—no twisting) or slice into wedges. Place close together on the tray for softer sides, or spaced apart for crisp edges.
7. Brush & bake: Brush tops with milk/egg. Bake 12–15 minutes until risen and golden.
8. Serve: Cool 5 minutes. Split and enjoy warm with butter, jam, and cream.

Success Tips

• Cold butter + minimal mixing = flaky crumb.
• Thicker dough, taller scones. Don’t roll thin.
• Oven ready: Get them into the oven quickly after mixing to capture the rise.

Variations

• Cheese & Herb (Savory): Add 80 g grated cheddar + 1 Tbsp chopped chives; reduce sugar to 1 tsp.
• Raisin/Chocolate Chip (Sweet): Fold in 80–100 g raisins or chips before adding liquids.
• Lemon Cream: Add 1 tsp lemon zest to dough; serve with lemon curd.
• Glaze: Mix ½ cup icing sugar + 1–2 tsp milk; drizzle over cooled scones.

Troubleshooting

• Spread too much? Dough was too wet or butter too warm. Chill shaped scones 10 minutes before baking.
• Tough/dense? Overmixed or dough too thin. Handle lightly; keep it thick.
• Didn’t rise? Old baking powder or oven not fully preheated.

Storage

• Room temp: Airtight 1–2 days.
• Freeze: Up to 1–2 months (baked or unbaked). Bake unbaked from frozen +2–3 mins.

Simple Metric-Only Version (Quick Copy)

• 250 g flour · 2 tsp baking powder · ¼ tsp bicarb · ½ tsp salt · 40 g sugar (optional) · 60 g cold butter · 170 ml milk (start)
• Mix dry, rub in butter, add milk to a soft dough. Pat 2.5–3 cm thick, cut, brush, bake 200°C for 12–15 mins.

No time to bake? Order fresh, fluffy scones for delivery from local bakers on The Scones Delivery. Bulk sleeves (5L/10L/20L) available for events.