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English Style Scones

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Tender, flaky, and delicious plain English Style Scones are perfect for afternoon tea, breakfast, or even as dessert. While the plain scones are delicious as they are, they are also the perfect vessel for your favorite add-ins.

plain flaky english style scones

Scones are currently my baking obsession. Light, tall, and flaky scones are a wonderful treat for breakfast or afternoon tea. 

They are easy and simple to make, using ingredients you probably have at home anyway. I like to make multiple recipes and freeze most of them. Then, you can just bake them directly fresh out of the oven!

My recipe has the combination of crispy outside and flaky texture while still being tender and soft on the inside. This is achieved by laminating the dough, which simply means adding layers by stacking or folding the dough as you roll it out. This adds flakiness and airy touch to the scones. 

Break apart a small bite-sized portion of the scone with your hands or cut it horizontally. Spread them with jam, cream, or butter, or simply eat them plain. They are so delicious!

What Are Scones?

Scones are basically quick breads or biscuit-like pastries that can be made and baked quickly because they use chemical leavening instead of yeast to make them rise. Baking powder is what is used to leaven scones and it helps the scones be very fluffy and rise tall.

plain flaky english style scones

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.

Flaky Scones Bonus Tip

We are stealing a lamination trick from croissant baking here by stacking and flattening the dough to create tons of flaky layers. Don’t worry, it sounds more complicated than it actually is. And if this seems like way too much work, you can just skip this step.

To laminate your dough, turn your dough out onto floured work surface. Roll the dough into 1-inch/2.5 cm thickness. Use a bench scraper or knife to divide the dough into 2 even pieces. Stack one part over each other. Press and flatten it out again. Repeat stacking and flattening the dough 2-3 more times. Then, your dough is ready to cut with a cutter.

how to laminate scone dough

Try using this trick and you will be surprised with the difference!

How to Serve

English Style Scones are most commonly made either plain or with raisins and sultanas. Although they can be enjoyed with any topping, the Britz traditionally enjoy scones as part of an afternoon tea. Generally, scones are topped with cream and jam.

Go with clotted cream for the traditional British flavor or whipped cream for a cleaner taste. Have sharp, tart jam to balance out the cream’s taste. 

plain english style scones with strawberry jam and cream

Firstly, make sure your scones are still warm to ensure that they are still light and fluffy. Break apart the scones with your hands or if using a knife, cut the scone horizontally. Top with cream and jam.

plain english style scones with strawberry jam and cream

More Scone Recipes

plain flaky english style scones
5 from 1 vote

English Style Scones

Tender, flaky, and delicious plain scones are perfect for afternoon tea, breakfast, or even as dessert. While the plain scones are delicious as they are, they are also the perfect vessel for your favorite add-ins.
Author: Jaja Bakes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: British
Servings: 7 2.4-inch/6 cm scones
Tap or hover to scale!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups (200 gr) cake flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp (25 gr) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (55 gr) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/2 (25 gr) egg
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold milk, plus more for brushing the top

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 410F/210°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
  • In a large bowl, sift in cake flour, salt, and baking powder. Add granulated sugar and mix to combine.
  • Add cold butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or bench scraper or your fingers to cut the butter into fine crumbs.
  • Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour egg and cold milk. Use a spatula to combine the dough until well incorporated.
  • 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 the other. Press slightly and roll the dough again. Roll and stack the dough 2-3 more times.
  • 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.
  • Place the scones onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with milk.
  • Bake the scones for 15 minutes until risen and golden on top.
  • Eat warm or cold on the same 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.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1scone | Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 237IU | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 0.5mg
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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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2 Comments

    1. I have never tried this recipe with almond milk, so I don’t know for sure. Maybe you can substitute the milk with almond milk because the amount is small. However, do not use almond milk for brushing the top.