Perfect Buttermilk Scones made from scratch.
Ingredients
- 480 grams (3 and 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 20 grams (4 level teaspoons) baking powder
- 80 grams (1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 130 grams (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 1 large egg, cold
- 300 ml (1 and 1/4 cup) full fat buttermilk, cold
- 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash OR use a few tablespoons of leftover buttermilk
Instructions
- Line a large baking tray with baking or parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Give it a quick mix.
- Add cold butter. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to squish the butter into the flour mixture. Try to flatten the cubes of butter using your fingertips. Work quickly until you have coarse crumbs and there are no more large lumps of butter.
- In a separate bowl, add egg and buttermilk. Whisk with a fork for 20 seconds or so until combined.
- Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and gently stir with a fork until shaggy. Turn mixture out onto bench. Use your hands to bring it together into a round disc. Gently divide into four.
- Stack quarters of scone dough on top of each other. Then use the palm of your hand to gently press dough down to at least 3 cm / 1 inch thick.
- Use a round 6 cm / 2.5 inch cookie cutter to cut out 8-9 scones. Don’t twist cutter. You can press leftover scone dough together once and cut out an extra scone or two.
- Place scones on prepared baking tray, ensuring they’re not touching. Chill scones in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 220 C (430 F) standard / 200 C (390 F) fan-forced.
- Brush top of scones with beaten egg or leftover buttermilk.
- Bake scones for 15-16 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool completely.
Notes
Plain flour: I highly recommend measuring your flour using a baking scale. It is easy to over-measure your flour when using cups. Too much flour will result in dry, tough scones.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk enhances the rise of the scones and contributes to their tender texture. However, if you don’t have access to buttermilk, use regular whole or full fat milk.
Storage: Scones are best served on the day they are made. Once cooled, you can wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Simply defrost or warm in the microwave to enjoy again.
Make-ahead: You can make the scone dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Jess’s recipe tips: Please read my recipe tips above before starting your scones.
