Scones are a classic British treat that are quick and easy to make at home. But if you want light, moist scones, one home cook says you need to ditch two ingredients for a simple alternative.
Few things beat a delicious scone accompanied by a lovely cup of tea. Regardless of how you pronounce it or the order in which you apply the jam and cream, there's one thing everybody can agree on: they are utterly divine.
Scones are wonderfully quick and simple treats prepared using basic ingredients such as flour, butter, milk, sugar, and eggs. While perfectly decent scones can be found in supermarkets, they are far more satisfying when baked from scratch at home and savoured straight from the oven.
The Secret Ingredient: Double Cream
Although traditional scones call for butter and eggs, home cook Sandra from the blog Heavenly Home Cooking contends that they turn out "lighter, moist and tender" when you swap those two ingredients for double cream.
Sandra said: "These scones are beyond easy and certainly don't skimp on flavour. If you have a craving for scones but don't have much time, this is your recipe. They taste great alone, but you can dress them up with jam or curd, as desired. Quick, easy, and delicious."
She further noted that double cream is "the key to lighter, moist, and tender scones". Beyond the double cream, just two additional straightforward ingredients are required for this scone recipe — self-raising flour and sugar.
Ingredients
- 375g of self-raising flour
- 67g of granulated sugar
- One and a half cups of double cream
Method
Begin by preheating your oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas Mark 7, then line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Combine the flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour in the double cream and stir until a firm dough forms.
Ensure the cream is cold to help achieve a flakier texture, so make sure your double cream is taken straight from the fridge.
You may need to knead the dough briefly with your hands to incorporate the dry ingredients. If required, add a small splash more of double cream.
Mix the dough only until it comes together, and when rolling it out, handle it as little as possible.
Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface and roll out to half an inch thickness.
Use a three-inch diameter scone cutter to cut the dough into rounds. Repeat as necessary until all the dough has been used.
When cutting out the scone shapes, dip the cutter into flour between each cut. This prevents sticking and guarantees clean edges.
Ensure you press straight down without twisting. Twisting can seal the edges of the dough, stopping the scones from rising properly.
Place the unbaked scones onto a prepared baking tray. Bake until lightly golden, approximately eight to 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Serve warm with butter and jam as desired.
Variations
Once you have mastered the basic recipe, you can experiment with additions such as dried fruit, or make them savoury with grated cheese, herbs, or spices.
