Traditional British Scone Recipe

After returning from a month spent in beautiful London, I have been craving the traditional British scones that are such a part of life there. The scones sold here in the US are quite unlike British scones: they are very sweet and incorporate all kinds of fruit and flavours (from blueberries to cinnamon to pears and cheese!). British scones are simple, perfectly balanced, and unparalleled, and to get them here in the US, I have no choice but to make them myself! There's also no better way to spend an autumn or winter afternoon than enjoying freshly baked scones, hot tea, and a cosy book....      

I've been using this recipe to craft my own traditional British scones since I've been back in the US, and they're pretty close to what I was able to get in the UK. I sometimes allow for a few twists in the ingredients (substituting in gluten-free flour, for example), and some people prefer plain rather than 'fruit' (sultana raisin) scones, so feel free to adjust as you prefer!

Ingredients:

• 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat/gluten free, if you prefer)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter (I use Kerry Gold unsalted because it's Irish and so soft and creamy!)
• Half a cup of sultana raisins (or just golden raisins if you can't find sultanas in the US... I haven't been able to)
• Three-quarters of a cup of milk (I usually use whole milk or even half-and-half to get richer scones)
• One egg yolk for glaze
• Fruit preserves and clotted cream for serving, if desired

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

Mix the first three ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well blended. 'Cut' the butter into the dry mixture using either your hands (my choice!) or a pastry blender, until the mixture is crumbly and there are no more large chunks of butter. Try to avoid warming the butter beforehand - you should use cold, firm butter for this step. This can be difficult when you use typical US butter, which is why I use Kerry Gold - it's much softer even when refrigerated.

Desired texture once the butter has been cut in  

Once the butter has been 'cut' in, add the raisins (if you don't want plain scones), mix, and then add in the milk or half-and-half. Knead lightly with your hands until well mixed - but don't overdo it! Less is more here, and over-mixing will keep the scones from being light and fluffy. You want the dough to be quite moist.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, flat surface and flatten to about a three-quarter or one-inch thickness. Use a round cookie cutter (about two inches in diameter) to cut the dough into circles. If you don't have a round cutter, that's fine (I don't!) - just use the bottom of a round glass that's about two inches wide to lightly mark the top of the dough, then cut the circles out with a sharp knife. This works just as well. Place the scones an inch or so apart on a greased baking sheet.

Isolate the egg yolk from the whites in a small bowl and whip with a fork. Use a brush (your fingertip will work too!) and lightly glaze the tops of the scones. This will create a lovely golden glaze once the scones are baked - but use only a very little (just until the tops are shiny) or the scones will come out soggy. Then pop them into the oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Beautiful! Scones are best eaten warm, so either enjoy them right away or heat up for a minute in a toaster oven if you'll be eating them later.

Here's a bonus tutorial for serving scones the proper British way. Cut the scone in half lengthwise, so you have two flat circular pieces. Spread with a sweet fruit preserves or jam - I prefer Bonne Maman Wild Blueberry Preserves - and then top with a dab of clotted cream, if you can find it. You can substitute whipped cream too, but clotted cream (kind of like a mix between whipped cream and butter) is the traditional way to go. The Fresh Market carries Double Devon Cream, but it's difficult to find elsewhere in the US. After having my scones this way in the UK (which is how they're always served), I can't eat them any other way! And don't forget the tea!