English Scones Recipe
This is the recipe I made thousands of times in a British tea shop — adapted for a US kitchen but faithful to the original. Light, not too sweet, and built to be split and topped. Raisins are optional, but they do add a gentle sweetness that suits the classic perfectly.
scones
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Ingredients
- 25 oz unbleached all purpose flour (5 cups, see note)
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 4 oz granulated sugar (½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 6 oz unsalted butter (cold, cut into 1" chunks)
- 4 oz raisins (¾ cup, optional)
- 2 large eggs
- 14 oz buttermilk (1 ¾ cups)
- Demerara Sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Line two ½ sheet pans with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 25 oz unbleached all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 4 oz granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon table salt. Toss in 6 oz unsalted butter chunks. Mix in the butter using your fingers to flatten the pieces into flakes. Sprinkle 4 oz raisins over the mix.
- Whisk together 14 oz buttermilk and 2 large eggs. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients all at once and mix until just barely combined. Some loose flour may remain at the bottom of the bowl. DON'T OVER MIX.
- Dump the dough onto a floured surface. Finish kneading by hand just until all the loose flour is absorbed. Use your hands to pat the dough until it is ¾"-1" thick. Use a 2 ½-3" biscuit cutter to cut scones. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting until all the dough is used.
- Line the scones onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1" space between. Brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with Demerarra or granulated sugar.
- Bake on the middle racks of the oven, flipping the trays after 10 minutes (see note).
- The scones are ready when they are golden brown and feel light when lifted. Total baking time 15-20 minutes.
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Notes
If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.
If the bottoms of the scones are browning very fast you can slide another sheet pan under the pan half way through baking.
To make ahead you can bake and freeze the scones. Defrost and warm in the oven to serve.
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