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Classic English Scones are light and airy with a slight crumble. A very British treat to which you can add different dried and fresh fruit. Usually served with afternoon tea and clotted cream, these are the very British round version, different to the American triangle ones.

The bottom half of a scone topped with jam and clotted cream

Scones are always best when freshly made. I love all types of scones, but there are times where I just want it in its purest form with nothing added because I love the toppings. Speaking of the toppings, read on about the very English clotted cream.

A round board of scones with jam and cream

What is clotted cream? 

Where it is a very unappealing name,  it is the creamiest cream made from the best Devon cows milk. In a nutshell, cream is cooked stovetop or oven until the cream ‘clots’ and forms a thick layer on the top and as a result the cream is skimmed off  the top and enjoyed on scones.

To read a more comprehensive history of clotted cream and afternoon tea, visit my post on Clotted Cream for Afternoon Tea.

4 English Scones on a board with one sandwiched with jam and clotted cream

There are many theories that go into making the perfect scones, for instance when cutting out the circles out of the dough, don’t twist or they will rise crooked. This is not the end of the world if they are crooked, it just makes them look more homemade.

Cold butter is a must for scones

When baking scones, cold butter is one of the reason you get fluffy, well-risen scones. The reason for this is, the little bits of butter are evenly distributed throughout the dough will leave flaky  layers in the scones.

Freezing of the butter

Yes, I freeze the butter for 15-20 minutes before using. I also grate the butter (using a large box grater) into the flour which creates little bits of butter that get well distributed into the flour and you don’t have to spend too much time mixing in.

 There’s also a question of do you add jam first to the scone then the cream on top of that.  Eat it how you want to, but I do like jam first, then the cream and this is how the Queen likes them.

These Classic English Scones are delicious on their own, but you can also mix in dried fruit like Autumn Apple and Date Scones, British Pumpkin and Currant Scones or fresh fruit like my Summer Strawberry Scones.

A side view of strawberry scones showing the chunks of fresh strawberries

If you’ve tried these Classic English Scones or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

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Clotted Cream

A scone cut in half topped with jam and clotted cream with a flower decorated china tea cup filled with tea
Yield: 9

Classic English Scones

A Classic British Scone topped with strawberry jam and clotted cream

Flaky and buttery English scones best served with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons (68 grams) unsalted butter, frozen (see note)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (118 ml) plus 1 teaspoon milk, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
  2. To a mixing bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt, mix. Grate the butter into the flour and using your finger tips to rub the butter into the flour (see video for technique) until it forms large crumbles.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk 1 egg into ½ cup milk. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the egg/milk mix and sugar. Mix the dough lightly with a fork until it comes together. It should be moist, but not sticky. Add a touch more milk if it is too dry and not holding together.
  4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape the dough to 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick round. Do not work the dough too much and do not use a rolling pin.
  5. Using a non-fluted 2 1/2 inch (5 cm) cookie cutter, dipped in flour, cut rounds pressing straight down, do not twist. Dip the cutter into flour before each cut.
  6. Line a baking sheet with parchment/baking paper and place the rounds about 1/2 inch (1 ¼ cm) apart.
  7. Whisk the remaining egg with the 1 teaspoon milk and brush the tops of the scones. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover with a clean, dry towel while they cool to keep them moist.

Notes

This is to keep the butter as cold as possible so when it hits the hot oven it creates steam and makes the scones flaky.

Nutrition Information

Yield

9

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 185Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 58mgSodium 320mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 4g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: British / Category: British Recipes