Cranberry Almond Scone Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick in making good scones? ›

Scones are always best baked cold as it makes them rise better, and allows for the frozen butter to melt inside the scone whilst baking creating that fluffy moist texture. And of course, don't forget to pre-heat your oven up to around 208°C whilst leaving them in the fridge or freezer.

Once you've cut out your scone shapes, flip them over and place upside down on the baking tray. This will help them rise evenly and counteract any 'squashing' that happened when you cut out the dough. Perfect scones should rise to about 2 inches high.

Why are my scones not light and fluffy? The trick to getting beautiful light and fluffy scones is to handle the dough as little as possible. So when scones don't rise or aren't fluffy, it could be because the dough was over mixed or over kneaded, which makes them more dense.

Ingredient selection

To make more delicate, lower-rising, cake-like scones, substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1 to 2 tablespoons, using just enough to bring the dough together.

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.

If you used plain flour they might be a bit biscuity! They'll still taste good but might be thin. I accidentally used plain flour and just 1tsp of baking powder last week.

Scones like to cosy up to one another in the baking tray. This helps them to rise evenly in the cooking process. When placing the scones in the baking tray they need to be touching.

You might need a teaspoon or two more cream as its consistency is thicker than milk. 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.

The mix should be moist, and while it should come out of the mixing bowl clean, expect it to leave your fingers a little sticky. Scone mix is far wetter than a dough – it's somewhere between a batter and a dough. Only lightly flour your work surface to avoid incorporating extra flour into the dough.

Can scone dough be refrigerated overnight? ›

In fact, you can even shape this scone dough into wedges and refrigerate overnight before baking.

Gently tap a scone to check if it's cooked through. If it's ready, it should sound hollow.

They are typically extremely high in calories from the heavy butter and cream. And, although scones with fruit might seem healthier, most are even higher in calories and still high in saturated fat. Steer clear of scones.

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

Get Flaky Scones with COLD Butter

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.

Scones are considered ”quick” breads since they are leavened with baking powder or baking soda and cream of tartar. They may be plain, but often have a wide variety of sweet or savory ingredients. Scones should be golden on the outside and tender and flaky inside, like a slightly sweetened biscuit.

My scones have spread and lost their shape

The mixture may have been too wet or the baking tray might have been too heavily greased. Twisting the cutter when cutting the scones can also have this effect.

The longer you knead the dough, the stronger the gluten network will be. We want just enough gluten for the scones to hold their shape, but not so much that we sacrifice the light and flaky texture. Over-kneading your dough also increases the chance of your butter getting too warm.