A former Great British Bake Off contestant has uncovered a surprising ingredient that makes scones wonderfully fluffy and golden. Briony May Williams, who appeared in the ninth series of the popular baking show, experimented with custard as a replacement for traditional wet ingredients.
The Custard Scone Experiment
In a TikTok series titled "Does it scone?", Briony tested various ingredients to see if they could produce perfect scones. For the letter 'c', she chose custard, which was the most requested suggestion from her followers. The result was a batch of beautifully risen, airy scones that looked just like those made with conventional recipes.
Briony explained: "Does custard scone? This was the most popular 'c' suggestion by all of you lot, so let's hope this works, come on." After baking, she exclaimed: "Well they look golden and delicious, don't they? It looks like a scone, like even the sides look sconey, do you know what I mean?" She added: "Oh, the mad scientist evil genius strikes again. They're so fluffy."
Simple Four-Ingredient Recipe
The method is remarkably straightforward. Briony uses just four ingredients: custard, self-raising flour, vanilla extract, and a little milk for glazing. She combines the custard, flour, and vanilla to form a soft dough, then shapes it into a ball and cuts it into quarters. After brushing with milk, the scones bake in an air fryer at 180°C for eight minutes or in an oven at 180°C fan for 10-12 minutes.
The recipe requires:
- 150g custard (ready-made)
- 150g self-raising flour (or 125g plain flour plus one teaspoon baking powder)
- One teaspoon vanilla extract
- One tablespoon milk
Why Custard Works
Viewers quickly noted that custard contains eggs, fat, vanilla, and milk—essentially all the key components of a traditional scone. One commenter, Laura, remarked: "Works because custard = eggs, fat, vanilla and milk. Scone ingredients. Genius!"
The video garnered over 29,200 views, 1,240 likes, and 130 comments. While some praised the innovation, others offered feedback. Mark noted: "Just made these, very nice, but more bread roll like than scone." Lisa suggested: "Birds custard powder would work better!"
For those seeking a quick shortcut to delicious scones, Briony's custard version offers a simple and effective alternative. Serve with jam and, as she suggests, even more custard.
