Scones Recipe

Savory and Sweet variations of English scones. These are denser and more crumbly than biscuits, and absolutely delicious when eaten fresh out of the oven.

While the Brits may enjoy them with their tea, I enjoy them with my coffee or even just by themselves.

These are a bit heavy with saturated fat due to the butter, but I will trade the potential health danger for happiness.

Before You Begin

Ingredients

Scale: x ½x ¾x 1x 1¼x 1½x 2x 2½x 3x 4x 5

• 315 grams (2 1/2 cups) All-purpose Flour.
• 25.0 grams (2 tbsp) Sugar. Double this for the Sweet variation.
• 5.69 grams (1 tsp) Salt. Cut this in half for the Sweet variation.
• 14.4 grams (1 tbsp) Baking Powder
• 113 grams (1/2 cup) Butter, preferably unsalted.
• 160 ml (2/3 cup) Buttermilk. As a substitute, reduce the milk by 2 tbsp and replace it with Lemon Juice. Mix and let it stand for ten minutes before adding to recipe.
• 50 grams (1 whole) Egg, lighty beaten.
• 5.0 ml (1 tsp) Vanilla Flavoring (Extract or Essence) —for Sweet variation.
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) Milk to brush tops (improves browning)
• 1/2 c Optionally add berries, nuts, chocolate chips, or other add-ins.

Preparation

1. Whisk together dry ingredients (Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Powder)
2. Cut Butter into small pieces, and then work it into the dry ingredients with a pasty cutter, large fork, or two knives. The mixture will be crumbly and some pieces of butter will remain.
3. Combine wet ingredients (Buttermilk, Egg, and optional Vanilla). Whisk to break up the Egg.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients, and mix with rubber spatula until just combined.
5. Place the combined ingredients on a floured-surface, and with floured hands, knead the dugh enough to form a ball. Then flatten the ball into a circle about 18 cm (7 inches) in diameter. You can adjust this size in subsequent batches to adjust the thickness to your liking.  
6. Place the dough circle on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and chll for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.  The tray needs to be larger than the circle (see below).
7. Cut the chilled dough into eight wedges, and spread them out to allow for expansion. About 5 cm (2 inches) is ideal.
8. Brush tops with Milk.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Exact time depends on the size you maded and your oven, so watch the last few minutes.
10. Remove from oven and cool—except they're best when eaten warm, fresh out of the oven.

Serving Suggestions

Storage