These English-inspired, buttery scones come together in under an hour and use cake flour to make them extra soft for that perfect English scones texture. Bake the same day or prepare them ahead of time and bake straight from the freezer for the perfect breakfast or a delightful addition to afternoon tea!
American-style scones are made with a higher-protein flour to support a variety of add-ins like dried fruits, chocolate chips, or nuts. They are more biscuit-like than their British counterparts, with a richer, sweeter flavor due to the higher amounts of butter and sugar. While both styles are delicious, American scones are typically enjoyed on their own, as their toppings make them naturally sweet, whereas English scones are less sweet and often paired with jam or clotted cream.
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✨Why You'll Love This Recipe✨
Ease Level: Beginner friendly! Your stand mixer will do all the "hard work", which is really just cutting the butter into the flour. You can do this with a pastry cutter as well (or a fork but this might take you longer unless you make a small batch). Shape the dough into a circle or square, flatten, cut and bake.
Flavor Profile: Not too sweet and a little salted, this English-style inspired scone is a great vehicle for your favorite jams or clotted cream. A straight forward, versatile recipe, once you get the hang of it, you can also start adding mix-ins to the dough or bake with your favorite toppings. It's a super tender scone though so it doesn't really handle a lot of mix-ins but a few teaspoons of chopped herbs, cheese, or nuts work perfectly, the possibilities are endless!
The first scone I actually enjoyed (one that wasn't as dry as the desert) was made by my friend (Jojo) for a picnic we had a few years ago. She had tried the softest English scone at Bosie Tea Parlor in New York, created by Pastry Chef Damien Herrgott, during an afternoon tea session. Unfortunately, the tea parlor has since closed, but thankfully, this recipe is adapted from and inspired by that delicious English scone, so its legacy lives on! My friend, Jenn, asked me for a good scone recipe so that reminded me I needed to write it up and here it is for all to enjoy.
🥣Main Ingredients🥣
- Cake flour: Cake flour is a low-protein flour (about 6-8%), compared to all-purpose flour, which typically has 10-12%. This lower protein content reduces gluten formation, resulting in a tender, soft crumb, ideal for cakes, cupcakes, and other delicate baked goods. Cake flour also has a very fine texture, which helps it blend smoothly and absorb liquids evenly, giving cakes a lighter, airier consistency like for this scone recipe.
- Leavening agents: We use baking soda and baking powder in this recipe to provide a reliable rise in these baked scones.
- Unsalted butter: Using unsalted butter allows us to control the exact salt amount in these scones. If you only have salted butter, you can omit the salt in the recipe. The butter also is naturally a leavening agent and along with baking powder + baking soda, it helps the scones rise.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream, also known as heavy whipping cream, is a high-fat (36-40%) dairy product made from cow's milk. It adds moisture to scone dough and, thanks to its rich fat content, helps create a tender crumb and adds depth of flavor. Brushing the tops of the scones with heavy cream before baking is a simple alternative to an egg wash. It encourages a beautiful golden color and a slightly crisp crust due to the natural sugars and fats in the cream.
For a Savory Alternative
Rosemary Cheddar: Add 4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves and 40 grams of shredded cheddar cheese before you add the heavy cream and mix by hand. The cheese may ooze out...but that's okay because it's now the chef's snack ;)
How To Store Scones
- At room temperature: Store baked scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I recommend toasting it for a nice, warm scone and pairing it with your favorite jam and clotted cream.
- Freeze: In an airtight container, freeze baked scones for up to 2 months. Let it defrost at room temperature. Enjoy it after defrosting or toast it. Freeze unbaked scones for up to 3 months.
Enjoy! :) Please tag @sparklecakerie if you make this! I’d love to see and share your creations <3
Busy Week? Make Ahead!
These scones are perfect to make ahead of time. Follow directions to make the scone recipe and after cutting them, you can freeze them. When you're ready to bake, you can bake them straight from the freeze! Easy peasy :)
Here is a 3-day (or make it in 2 days), make ahead schedule for you to get an idea of how to break up the work load so you don't have to do all the work in one day:
Day 1: Make the scone dough, shape, then put in freezer for about at least 30 minutes so it's easier to cut or until the next day.
Day 2: Take scone dough out from freezer. Cut into desired shapes and you can bake it or freeze in an air tight container/bag to bake another day.
Day 3 (whenever you plan to bake it): Bake your portioned out scone dough.
English Scones Recipe: How To Make The Perfect Scone
Ingredients
- 280 grams Cake flour (or All-Purpose Flour works fine)
- 60 grams Granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons Baking powder
- 60 grams Unsalted butter cold and cut into chunks
- 160 grams Heavy cream cold, plus more for brushing on top
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract optional
- Pearl sugar optional
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, stir together 280 grams Cake flour, 60 grams Granulated white sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and 4 teaspoons Baking powder on low speed.
- Stop the mixer and add 60 grams Unsalted butter chunks. Mix on low until the texture resembles coarse sand.
- Pause the mixer again to add 160 grams Heavy cream and 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (if using), then mix on low until the ingredients are just combined and the mixture is still slightly crumbly.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or a sheet of parchment paper, and gently knead by hand to bring it together, avoid overworking the dough.
- Roll out and flatten the dough on parchment paper to about ½"-¾". Place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until firm enough to cut. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F (with fan) or 350°F (without fan).
- Remove the dough from the freezer and cut it into squares or triangles. Lightly brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with Pearl sugar.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes (edges and bottoms should have browned while scone mostly still being pale), then serve warm with clotted cream or fresh jam. Enjoy!
Kandi says
Howdy! This blog post could not be written much better! Looking at
this article reminds me of my previous roommate!
He constantly kept talking about this. I will send this post to him.
Pretty sure he will have a great read. Thank you for sharing!