Description
Make tender, buttery scones at home using this straightforward recipe. This base recipe works well plain or with your favorite fruit additions.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten (for egg wash, optional)
- 1 tablespoon milk (for egg wash, optional)
- For Glaze (Optional): 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Pour in the cold buttermilk. Mix gently with a fork until just combined. Do not overmix; the dough will be shaggy.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead it 3 or 4 times until it comes together. Pat or roll the dough into a 3/4-inch thick circle or rectangle.
- Cut the dough into 8 wedges or use a round cutter to cut out scones. Place the pieces onto the prepared baking sheet.
- For a golden top, brush the tops lightly with the egg wash (whisked egg and milk).
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the scones cool on a wire rack.
- If making the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled scones.
Notes
- For Blueberry Scones, gently fold in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries after adding the buttermilk.
- For a richer flavor, substitute heavy cream for the buttermilk.
- Keep all ingredients, especially the butter and buttermilk, very cold for the flakiest results.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scone
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 14
- Saturated Fat: 9
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 34
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 55