Earl Grey Scones

Light, flaky, and fragrant, these Earl Grey Scones are an easy and delightful sweet treat that is perfect for afternoon tea or as a snack. For the ultimate indulgence, cut one in half and fill it with cream and your favorite jam.

What if you could take your favorite tea and put it into your afternoon tea treats? Well, that is what is exactly happening here with these Earl Grey Scones. It is kind of like your favorite cup of earl grey tea but baked into delicious scones.

These Earl Grey Scones are tender, crumbly, and flaky with a delicate note of earl grey tea. They are delicious and fragrant, best enjoyed when still warm with some cream and jam. And since scones and tea are natural together, don’t forget to steep your tea on the side to complete the treat.

Make Ahead of Time

Scones are the best when they are fresh and warm from the oven. You will want to bake them off at the last minute. If you would like to get ahead, you can make and shape the dough ahead of time and leave them in the fridge overnight. Or you can freeze them on a baking sheet, transfer the frozen unbaked scones to a ziplock bag, and bake them straight from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.

Baking Tips

• Use cold ingredients. Similar to making pie crust, using cold ingredients prevent the butter from melting before the scones are baked, leaving it instead to melt in the oven and create a super-flaky end result. Keep your butter, egg, and milk in the fridge until you are ready to make your scone dough.
• Keep the dough cold. Do not allow the dough to get too warm. Keep it as cold as possible until they are ready to go into the oven. This will make them rise better.
• Don’t overmix. Mix just until the flour almost disappears and you’ll be left with flaky layers and a nice, tender scone.
• Don’t twist your cutter. Make sure not to twist your cutter when pressing down as this can make the scones wonky when they bake. This ensures the walls of the scones aren’t sealed so they can rise straight up and evenly.

The Best Ways to Enjoy Them

Here are some ideas of what you can add as add-ins or toppings for these Earl Grey Scones.

• Cream and jam. These Earl Grey Scones are lovely with whipped cream or traditional clotted cream and preserves like blueberry and strawberry jam.
• Butter. Spread the scones with butter straight from the oven.
• Citrus. You can make a simple glaze of powdered icing sugar with the zest on top of the scone for extra flavor. You can also use lemon curd or orange curd for the topping.
• Honey. Plain honey is one of the best scone toppings. 

More Earl Grey Recipes

• Earl Grey Panna Cotta
• Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies
• Earl Grey Burnt Cheesecake
• Earl Grey Butter Cookies

Yield: 7 2.4-inch/6 cm scones

Earl Grey Scones

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Light, flaky, and fragrant, these Earl Grey Scones are an easy and delightful sweet treat that is perfect for afternoon tea or as a snack. For the ultimate indulgence, cut one in half and fill it with cream and your favorite jam.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups cake flour (200 gr)
• 1 tbsp loose earl grey tea
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar (37 gr)
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter (55 gr), cubed
• 1/2 egg (25 gr)
• 1/4 cup cold milk (60 ml)

Egg Wash

• 1/2 egg
• 1/2 tbsp milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 410F/210°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
2. In a food processor, blend loose earl grey tea with some cake flour until the tea is spotted throughout the flour.
3. In a large bowl, sift in tea-blended flour, the remaining cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add granulated sugar and mix to combine.
4. Add cold butter into the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or bench scraper or with your hands to cut the butter into fine crumbs.
5. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour egg and cold milk. Use a spatula to combine the dough until well incorporated.
6. Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour. Roll the dough with a rolling pin into 1-inch/2.5 cm thickness. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into 2 even pieces. Stack one part over each other. Press slightly and roll the dough again. Roll and stack the dough 2-3 more times.
7. Roll the dough into 1-inch/2.5 cm thickness. Cut into 2.4-inch/6 cm rounds with a biscuit cutter. Make sure to press the cutter straight down and not twist your cutter during cutting.
8. Place the scones onto the prepared baking sheet.
9. In a small bowl, mix together egg and milk to make the egg wash. Brush the tops with egg wash.
10. Bake the scones for 15 minutes until risen and golden on top.
11. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and cream.

Notes

Keep the dough as cold as possible. If the dough starts to get warm, keep it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

Make sure to measure the flour correctly if using volume measurement. The scones will end up too dry if you are adding too much flour. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Then, level the top with a knife or other straight-edged utensil.

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