Easy English Scones

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5 from 1 vote

Light and flaky English scones, just like at afternoon tea! Make them at home using this simple 6-ingredient recipe.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Afternoon Tea

Cuisine: American

Servings: scones

Author: Jee Choe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
⅓ cup salted butter (cold)
½ cup heavy cream + 1 tablespoon for egg wash
1 large egg

Instructions

Sift and combine the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, and baking powder to remove any clumps.
Cut the butter into small cubes and incorporate into the flour mixture.
Avoid touching the butter with your hands since that will heat them up. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to break the cubes of butter up into small pieces inside the flour.
Mix together the heavy cream and egg.
Put ½ cup of heavy cream and egg into a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk to combine. A fork works well to mix the ingredients.
Set aside 1 tablespoon of the mixture to use as an egg wash later and place in the refrigerator.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Slowly pour the remaining heavy cream and egg mixture into the flour mixture. Use a fork to gently incorporate the ingredients and be careful not to overmix.
The dough will look crumbly.
Form the dough into a ball and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Use your hands to coax the dough into a ball. It's normal if parts of the dough fall off. If it's too crumbly, add another tablespoon of heavy cream.
Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Dough can be left in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Flatten the dough.
Flour the countertop. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Gently knead the dough into a flattened circle that's 1 ½-inches thick. Fold the dough over itself once and flatten it to 1 to 1 ¼-inches thick.
Cut out the scones.
Use 2 ¼-inch biscuit or cookie cutter to form the individual scones. Make sure not to twist the cutter. Simply push it down and pull straight up.
Brush with the egg wash.
Place the cut out dough onto the baking sheet. Brush the tops with 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and egg mixture that was set aside in the refrigerator.
Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.
The scones are ready once the edges are golden and the tops are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack until ready to serve.

Notes

It's important to sift the flour and other dry ingredients to remove any lumps. This will give the scones an even, airy texture without any dense pockets.
Use very cold butter. When it comes to the wet ingredients, pull them out from the fridge only when you're ready to use them. Using a cold egg and heavy cream will help keep the butter chilled so it melts in the oven to create flaky layers.
Be gentle with the dough. If the dough is overworked, the scones will come out tough and chewy rather than light and buttery. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, do so gently and mix until the dough just comes together.
Scones are traditionally served with jam and clotted cream.
If you won’t be eating or serving all of the scones, you can freeze them unbaked for the future. Brush the tops with some milk and bake as instructed in the recipe. You may need a few additional minutes since they’re frozen.

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