Scones with whey and lime - super easy recipe - done in 30 minutes (2024)

FAQs

Does scone dough need to be cooked immediately? ›

You could make the dough in the morning and cut out the scones and refrigerate them before baking. However the scones contain bicarbonate of soda, which acts quickly when it comes into contact with liquid and it will lose some of its raising power as it stands. Consequently the scones may not be quite as light.

Just a reminder: Don't overwork the dough or the scones will turn out rubbery – or worse, bullety and hard. Cut out your scones cleanly. Twisting the cutter can impair the rise. If you use a fluted cutter, you can't twist it.

Heavy Cream or Buttermilk: For the best tasting pastries, stick with a thick liquid such as heavy cream or buttermilk. I usually use heavy cream, but if you want a slightly tangy flavor, use buttermilk.

Bake scones in a 425°F oven for 18 to 23 minutes, until they're a very light golden brown. Don't over-bake; dark scones will be dry. Break one open to check for doneness: the interior shouldn't appear doughy or wet, but should feel nicely moist.

To test if scones are cooked through, tap gently on top. If it makes a hollow sound, the scones are cooked. Dip cutters into flour between cutting to prevent dough sticking to them.

Flours: the perfectly fluffy texture of these consistently reliable scones is owed to 3 cups of self-raising flour (and a little plain flour for dusting!). Chilled butter: if you want to achieve beautiful, flaky and fluffy scones that rise well, cold butter is key!

It is far better that the scone mixture is on the wet side, sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it out with your hand, or use a rolling pin, to a thickness of 1-2 cm (1/2 – ¾ inch).

For extra precaution, it helps to chill the dough again before it's baked. Follow this tip: Cut the scone dough into wedges, place them on a baking sheet, and keep them in the fridge while the oven preheats.

Large Egg - The egg helps bind the ingredients together and increases the richness and flavour. Unsalted butter - Has to be cold to create flaky layers within the scone.

Overworking the dough: when you overwork your dough, your scones can come out tough and chewy, rather than that desired light, crumbly texture. The trick is to use light pressure and only the work the dough until it just comes together.

What happens if you put too much milk in scones? ›

Adding the milk all at once

The quantity and order in which you add ingredients to your scone dough will alter its texture and consistency. If you add too much liquid, it will come out wet and not hold its shape.

For example, if you substitute oil for butter or margarine, you can significantly reduce the amount of saturated fat in your baked goods. This streamlined recipe for Light Scones uses just 3 tablespoons of canola oil, which contains a fraction of the saturated fat found in butter or margarine.

Butter must be COLD from the very start to when the dough enters the oven. The cold butter melts upon entering the oven and the water content in butter evaporates in steam. As the steam escapes, it bursts up and creates that beautiful tall, flaky, fluffy texture.

“One of the primary differences between buttermilk and heavy cream is the fat content,” Laing said. Heavy cream contains 36% fat on average, while the fat content of buttermilk is only 1%. Both are thicker than standard milk, but the substantial fat in heavy cream also gives it “a slightly sweet flavor.”

If you'd like to get ahead, you can make and shape the dough into scones ahead of time and leave them in the fridge overnight. Or you can freeze them on a baking sheet, transfer the frozen unbaked scones to a zip-top bag, and bake them straight from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.

Remove the frozen dough from the cookie sheet and place into the freezer bag. Bleed out the air, and return the labeled bag to the freezer. Mark the calendar–you have 3-4 weeks to use the dough.

If the dough is chilled and left overnight then the scones may not rise as much when baked, as the raising agent will have expired. Instead, we would suggest freezing the scones and baking them from frozen, as freezing helps to suspend the action of the bicarbonate of soda.

Recipes for scones sometimes provide a make-ahead option that involves refrigerating the dough overnight so it can simply be shaped and then popped into the oven the next day. But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.