A chef has shared the secret to baking light and fluffy scones every time, and the answer is surprisingly simple: mix by hand. After enjoying a memorable afternoon tea at the Skeabost Hotel on the Isle of Skye, one diner asked head chef George Fraser for his secret to the perfect scone.
The Two-Word Secret
"The secret is that it's all in the mixing," said head chef George Fraser. "It's all in the crumbing of the dry ingredients with the butter, so it's all about elevating the ingredients and rubbing it so it's incorporating air in the mixture at the same time."
He explained that once the mixture reaches a crumb consistency, you slowly add milk and incorporate it just until it forms a dough. Using a machine, he noted, "can't lift it or aerate it enough." A machine also tends to turn the mixture too quickly, warming the butter and preventing the desired crumb consistency, resulting in a pastry instead.
Why Hands Are Best
When asked why a fork, which is also used by hand, wouldn't work, Fraser simply replied, "It's just classic." Interestingly, the Skeabost Hotel uses vegan butter for its scones — something the diner normally avoids but could not tell the difference in taste.
Recipe for Homemade Scones
Chef George's original recipe is for a large commercial batch, but the ingredients have been reduced by a third for home baking. The recipe includes 500g self-raising flour, 110g unsalted butter (cold and diced), eight teaspoons of caster sugar, one teaspoon of salt, 1/3 teaspoon of baking powder, and 333ml of milk. The method involves preheating the oven to 170C, rubbing all dry ingredients together with the cold butter until crumb-like, slowly adding the milk and mixing until it comes together, shaping and brushing with milk, then baking for 15 minutes.
