Tips to bake the perfect scone

Traditional scone's

One of my favourite topics of conversation is food.  I can get over exciting talking about food and recipes.   I often take it for granted that people have the same cooking knowledge as I do.  However I've come to realise that I was lucky to have a mum and grandma to teach me how to cook and bake.

Over the years Iv discovered a lot of ways of how not to do things in the kitchen. For me kitchen disasters, are just a way of learning what not to do. This knowledge comes in handy when people ask me for advice.  Scones is top of the list of recipe that I'm asked about.   

There are 2 recipes below that I use, the second one is for soda bread.  When my hands started to get bad due to fibromyalgia, the soda bread recipe was the easiest one to make. Sometimes we have to adapt the way we could and bake to make up for health problems.  

TOP TIPS

Mindful baking 

I practise mindfulness to help manage my mental health problems. I try to add it to all aspects of my life.

For me baking is a perfect way to relax. There is nothing more comforting than the smell of home baking filling your kitchen.

What we bake always turns out better if you take your time.  My mum could always tell when I had a bad days by tasting what I had baked.  If it's going to cause you to much stress, don't do it.  You can always bake ahead of time and freeze your scones till their needed. They can be defrosted overnight.  

First step - look out your ingredients and pre-heat your oven to the right temperature.  Then sit down with a cup of tea and look over your recipe.

Step two - Weight out you ingredients into your bowl. Then have another cup of tea.

Third step - Mix the ingredients together and follow the recipe. Then place in your oven and set a timer with your baking time.  

Fourth Step - While you are waiting, tidy your kitchen. Then look out a wire rack to cool your home baking on.

Remember to enjoy the process.

Tools

- Use a knife to bring your scone dough together in the bowl.  It keeps your hands clean and helps ensure you don't over handle the dough.  

- Don't use a Rolling pin, pat out your scone dough for lighter scones.  Rolling the dough will just knock out all the air.

- Sprinkle Flour on your baking tray this will stop your scones sticking to the tray while they bake.

- Wire rack  If you leave scones to cool on the baking tray or a plate, the heat will make them go soggy on the bottom.  

They are best cooled on a wire rack.  You don't need to buy one, you can use the  wire rack that comes with your microwave or cooker oven. If you can't find anything similar, place them on a tea towel instead.  

- Fish Slice If you don't have a pallet knife a fish slice will do work just as well for moving your scones, from your baking tray.

Dough

- Flour absorbs liquid differently depending on where you live and the weather. You won't always need to use all the milk for the recipe, other times you might have to add a splash more.  

- No need to Sift  Modern flour does not need to be sifted when you are making scones. You can use a whisk to break up the flour instead.  

- If your dough is too sticky,  when you tip it out on to your work surface. Just sprinkle extra flour on the top and knead it in to your scone dough.  

- Try not to over work your dough.  Just knead it enough so it's smooth enough to cut.  

- Cookie Cutters You don't need to have cookie cutters for making scones.  You can use a glass instead to get a perfect round or cut them into triangles instead.  Just pat the dough out into a circle, then cut into slices like a cake.  Separate them when you transfer them to the baking tray so they bake evenly.

- Cutter Dip your cutter into flour to stop it sticking to the dough.  If it does stick tap it down hard on the work surface to get it out.

- To glaze or not to glaze You don't need to do an egg or milk wash on top of your scones before you bake them.  It's just a personal preference, they will bake just as well without it.

- Raising agent Even if you are using self raising flour it's best to add 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda.  Scones are a quick bread recipe that doesn't use yeast, so the raising agent is important to get the same rise.

Testing

- No two ovens are the same, some might take longer to bake.  Once you've baked a few times, it's easier to work out if you need to reduce or increase your cooking time by a few minutes.  

- Some ovens have a hot spot, so some scones might bake quicker than others.  The easiest way to solve this problem is by turning the baking tray round  half way through the baking time.  

- The best way to check if your scone is baked, is to tap them on the bottom to see if they sound hollow.  Check the colour on top to see if it's golden brown first.  

Free from

Scones are easy to make vegan and dairy free. I prefer to use soya milk over other dairy free milks for baking.  I've not tried to bake gluten free scones yet, however from my own baking experience I would add a egg or egg substitute to make them more stable.  

Banana and raisin

 Man Scones

Traditional Scone Recipe

8 oz Self Raising Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 level tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1- 2 oz Butter
1 tsp Sugar
1/4 pint/ 4 fl oz  milk

- Preheat Oven to 450 Fahrenheit /220 Celsius

- Place flour, salt and bicarbonate into a bowl and combine together.

 - Chop butter and add to flour. Use your fingertips to Rub in the butter till resembles bread crumbs.  Shake the bowl a few times, this brings the larger bits to the top, so you can see what still needs to be rubbed into the flour.

- Add in sugar and combine with a knife.

- Add enough milk to make a soft dough.  

- flour your work top and tip out scone dough.

- Knead till smooth, pat out till 1 inch thick.  Then cut out scones

- Brush top of scones with milk or egg wash.  Then bake in oven for 7 - 10 Min's

- Once baked cool on a wire rack.


Fruit Scones - 1-2 oz dried fruit (any)

Oatmeal Scones - Swap 2 oz of Flour for Oatmeal

Wholemeal Scones - Use wholemeal self raising flour or use 4 oz white flour and 4 oz wholemeal flour

Banana Scones - Add 1 mashed banana to the milk mixture

Roast Sweet potato - Roast sweet potato in the oven. Leave to cool and mash. Then Combine with the milk.  

Spiced Scones - Add 1 level tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

Apple Scones - Add in 1 grated or  diced apple + 1/2 tsp Cinnamon.

Treacle Scones - Add 2 oz/ 1 large tablespoon of treacle to a pan.  Gentle warm till loose and add in a little of your milk.  Add to scone dough, add rest of milk as needed.

Carrot Scone recipe - Add in 1 grated carrot to dry ingredients, along with 1 tsp mixed spice.  

Cheese Scones - Leave out the sugar. Add 2 oz grated cheese to flour, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add 1 tsp mustard into milk.  Once milk washed on top, sprinkle on a little grated cheese. 

Savoury Scones - The basic scone recipe without the sugar is a great base to make your own savoury scones with. Just add 1 - 2 tbsp into the dry ingredients.

- Chopped sun dried tomato's
- Chopped Black Olives 
- Spring Onions
- Add chopped Chives to the Cheese Scone recipe
- Chopped Basil 
- Mixed Seeds

Spiced honey Scones

An easier way of making scones is by using a soda bread recipe. It's basically the same recipe,but it doesn't contain butter so no rubbing in necessary. 

I used to make these for my dad, they were his favourite. 

Soda Bread Scone recipe

8 oz Self Raising Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 level tsp Bicarbonate of soda
175 - 200 ml Milk 
1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Sugar


- Preheat Oven to 450 Fahrenheit /220 Celsius

- Add all the dry ingredients to the bowl.

- Add the milk and lemon juice together in a jug

- Slowly pour milk mixture into your bowl and mix into the flour, till it's a soft dough.  

- flour your work top and tip out scone dough.

- Knead till smooth, pat out till 1 inch thick.  Then cut out scones

- Brush top of scones with milk or egg wash.  Then bake in oven for 7 - 10 Min's

- Once baked cool on a wire rack.


Mary Berry Scone recipe - In Scotland we call these Rich tea scones, as 1 egg is added to the normal recipe.

Mincemeat Scone recipe - From the Pink Whisk blog.  I made these last year, there a great tasting festive treat.  

Lemon and poppy Seed Scones - From Daisy's and pie blog 

Scones are a great easy recipe to make with children, I remember teaching my niece and nephew how to make them.  Just be prepared for strange combinations, if I remember the added chocolate chips in to theirs.  

I hope my tips help you bake your own version 

of  a perfect scone.