Plain Scones
The only scone recipe you’ll ever need! Plain Scones provide the perfect base for almost any scone, so if you want to be a scone master, start here. Granny has always had a knack for scones. I can still clearly remember when we had people come to visit when I was a kid. Granny would…
The only scone recipe you’ll ever need! Plain Scones provide the perfect base for almost any scone, so if you want to be a scone master, start here.
Granny has always had a knack for scones. I can still clearly remember when we had people come to visit when I was a kid. Granny would whip out a batch of scones in no time at all, with very little effort. Recipe straight from memory, not even measuring out quantities half the time – just eyeballing it, but somehow never getting it wrong.
I’ve mentioned in my other scone recipes that, in theory, scones are a very easy thing to bake. Although in practice, they can take a bit of work to master. Don’t worry, I’ve included all our tips for the perfect scone recipe below.
But if you really want to become a scone master, Plain Scones are the ideal place to start.
This recipe for plain scones is the perfect base for nearly every kind of scone you could imagine. In fact, Granny used to always start with a plain scone base, separating out enough for a few scones to appease us fussy kids, before adding some sultanas, cheese or cherries to the rest of the dough for the grown-ups.
Ingredients for Plain Scones:
Self-raising Flour
Scones are generally quite dense in texture, but there are a few elements in the ingredients that help prevent them from being like biting into a rock. One of those is the raising agents. Self-raising flour already has a raising agent incorporated…as the name would suggest.
Only got plain flour to hand? Take a look above at the “Can I use plain flour in scones?” for how to make that work for you.
Baking Powder
As well as the raising agent in the flour, baking powder adds a bit of lift to scones. Baking powder is a convenient choice as it is a ready-mixed leavening agent, generally made of bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar (usually some cornflour too). In fact, our Fruit Scone Recipe simply uses a combination of bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar, as opposed to baking powder.
Caster Sugar
In terms of scones, Plain Scones would fall into the “rich scone” category. Traditionally, this would also mean the addition of an egg alongside the sugar; however, in this recipe, the caster sugar is all that is called for.
Margarine or Butter
In terms of flavour, butter is always king when it comes to baking scones. However, when it comes to texture, a decent block margarine can be just as good. You want your butter/margarine to be cold, though, as this will allow you to crumble it into the flour & sugar without it turning to mush; instead, you want it to make a sand-like consistency. It is these little “grains” of buttery sand that will melt during baking, leaving a beautiful air-pocketed texture within your scones.
Milk
The liquid that brings it all together. You can use whichever milk you prefer, but a full-fat milk produces the richest scones. Dairy-alternative milks also work great in scones, with soya being my personal favourite.
Yoghurt
Not a traditional addition for scone recipe purists, however, the choice to add yoghurt to your recipe goes beyond taste – more so, it is science! The acid in the yoghurt reacts with the alkaline in the baking powder, causing a chemical reaction. For those like myself who never excelled in chemistry…it basically makes some bubbles in your batter and, in turn, an even lighter textured scone.
The choice of yoghurt is yours, however. A plain yoghurt is great, as it is a soya yoghurt or a coconut yoghurt (what is used in these photos). Generally speaking, you want to use a yoghurt that isn’t too sweet or flavoured. Common alternatives that can be used in the same way as yoghurt include buttermilk and sour cream.
Tips for perfect Scones:
• For great scones, you want cold ingredients and a hot oven. Use margarine/butter that is a little cold, and ensure you fully preheat your oven.
• Try to get as much air into your dough by sifting the dry ingredients from a bit of height and raising your fingers as you rub in the butter.
• Scones require a soft touch, so don’t be too rough with your mixing and kneading.
• Put down the rolling pin! Simply stretch out your dough with your hands. And always leave it a little thicker than you think you should.
• When you cut your scones from the dough, DO NOT twist your cookie cutter. This will twist the edges of the dough and prevent them from rising as well. And by doing so, you will make Granny want to cry.
• Always leave your scones to rest before baking. This lets the gluten in the flour rest & calm down a little. 10 minutes is ideal, but if you can do longer, even better. I’ll usually do my dishes during this time.
• A beaten egg gives the best colour to scones when brushed on top, but milk is my personal preference. Just be careful that you don’t let it run down the sides of your scones or it could affect the rise.
More Scones You’ll Love:
• Classic Fruit Scones
• Savoury Cheese Scones
• Scottish Treacle Scones
• Victoria Scones
Plain Scones
EQUIPMENT
INGREDIENTS
- 450 g Self-raising Flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 50 g Butter or Block Margarine
- 50 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 200 ml Milk
- 100 ml Plain Yoghurt (dairy, soya, coconut…)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your oven to 220°c (200°c for fan assisted oven, Gas Mark 7 or 425°F). Grease two baking sheets with a little butter and set aside.
- Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl, holding the sift up to allow some air into them. Gently stir in the sugar.
- Using the tips of your fingers, rub in the margarine/butter to the dry ingredients, again lifting as you do to allow air in. Continue until you have a sandy consistency.
- Create a well in the middle. Whisk the milk and yoghurt together before pouring into the well. Using your hands, gently bring the ingredients together to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Turn out onto a floured work surface and gently knead together, before stretching the dough to about 2-3cm thickness.
- Using a cookie cutter of your choice, cut your scones out and place them onto your pre-greased baking sheets. The smaller your cutter the more scones you will get. Reform and stretch the dough as required to use all of the dough.
- Leave your scones to rest on the tray for about 10 minutes before brushing the tops with some extra milk.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. If you are making smaller scones, keep a close eye on them as you may need to reduce the baking time to suit.
- Once cool enough to touch, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely or enjoy whilst still warm.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won’t always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- For full ingredient explanations, including substitutes, please see the Ingredients information above.
- For all our tips in achieving fool-proof scones, please see Granny’s Top Tips above.
In theory, scones are incredibly easy to make. You start by sifting your flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Next, rub into the butter with your fingertips, before stirring through the sugar. Finally, you add the liquid – in case milk & yoghurt – before gently mixing all the ingredients together to create a soft, sticky dough.
You’ll then take your dough and flatten it out on a well-floured worksurface, before cutting your scones to your desired size. Next, you pop them onto a baking sheet, before brushing with a little milk and baking in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.
Like I say, easy in theory. But scones can take a bit of practice to master.
Yes, you can make scones with plain flour. In fact, my recipe for Fruit Scones uses plain flour. However, you will need to add the raising agents that you would usually find in self-raising flour – without any raising agents, your scones will be like rocks. And not in a nice Rock Buns kind of way!
The general rule of thumb is to add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for every 150g of plain flour. So in this recipe, you would use 5 teaspoons of baking powder as there is 450g of flour, not forgetting the additional 2 teaspoons of baking powder that the recipe calls for too. So in total, 7 teaspoons of baking powder.
In short, no. Scones do not need eggs. However, some recipes will add an egg to their scone mix, and some people will even insist this is a necessity. I disagree. And if you try this Plain Scone recipe, I’m sure you will agree that an egg is not missed.
Adding an egg to scones can add a certain richness, as well as extra moisture. In fact, my Victoria Scones do use an egg, so I’m not entirely against the idea of eggs in scones. But for your everyday scone, it just isn’t necessary. These scones are not dry, and they are plenty rich. By keeping to a traditional no-egg scone mix, you also make them much more affordable, and the perfect thing to make when you want to bake but don’t have any eggs left!
Absolutely! Scones freeze very well, in fact.
Like most homemade bakes, scones are best enjoyed on the day you make them, especially fresh from the oven. But if you want to make them in advance, or you simply can’t finish an entire batch in one go, freezing them is great idea.
Pop them into a freezer bag and simply take a scone out at a time when you want to eat them. Ideally, you would leave them to defrost at room temperature, but you can defrost them in the microwave too. I like my scones warm, so I will heat them in the microwave or even the toaster to warm them up before enjoying.
Free-from & Vegan:
Nut-free: There are no nuts used in this Plain Scone recipe, but as always, be sure to double-check your individual ingredients allergens list.
Dairy-free: To make this a dairy-free Plain Scones recipe, simply use a dairy-free milk, yoghurt & margarine.
Vegan: As there is no egg in this scone recipe, simply follow the dairy-free tips above to make these a Vegan Plain Scones recipe. The scones pictured are actually vegan, made with dairy-free margarine, soya milk and yoghurt.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
Just made the clootie dumpling and it turned out fantastic,I did use a pillow case for my cloot as my mother used to do thanks for your great recipes now on to the Scottish snowballs yum yu
Thank you, Amy, for another delicious recipe. Followed all the instructions exactly as written. Perfect scones.
Hi,can I use zero fat Greek yogurt in this recipe
Can the scones rest in the fridge for 15 or 20 minutes before going into the hot oven? Would the gluten relax in the cold temperature?
Help! Love the recipe, but I am in US.
Has anyone converted to non metric?
Thanks