Buttermilk Scones
The secret to a scone that rises high without becoming dense is to keep the butter and buttermilk near-freezing and to handle the dough as little as possible. Work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, combine with the wet ingredients just until the shaggy mass clings together, and bake in a hot oven until the tops are golden and the edges are firm.
Temperature is your only enemy.
If your butter melts before the scones hit the oven, they will spread into flat biscuits. Keep your ingredients cold and move quickly.
- large mixing bowl
- pastry cutter or two butter knives
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- bench scraper
What goes in.
- 3 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1/3 cupgranulated sugar
- 1 tbspbaking powder
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 3/4 cupunsalted butter, frozen and cubed
- 3/4 cupcold buttermilk
- 1large egg
Maintaining Butter Pockets
Use a pastry cutter to break the butter into pea-sized bits. These solid chunks melt during baking, creating the steam that forces the layers apart for a light interior.
The method.
Prep the oven
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
Mix the dry
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl.
Cut the butter
Add the cold butter cubes and cut them into the flour until the mixture is crumbly with visible pea-sized chunks of butter remaining.
Bind the dough
Whisk the egg into the buttermilk. Pour this over the flour mixture and stir with a fork just until a shaggy dough forms; do not overmix.
Shape and slice
Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Pat it into an 8-inch circle about 1 inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 wedges.
Bake
Place the wedges on the prepared sheet, leaving space between them. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops are deep gold.
Other turns to take.
Currant Scones
Fold in 1/2 cup of dried currants when you add the buttermilk.
Lemon Zest
Rub the zest of one lemon into the sugar before mixing with the flour.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Freeze the butter for 30 minutes before cubing it if your kitchen is warm.
If the dough feels too sticky to shape, dust your hands with flour, not the counter, to keep the interior hydrated.
For a deeper color on top, brush the scones with a little extra buttermilk before baking.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
You can add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to regular milk and let it sit for 10 minutes; the acidity is necessary to react with the baking powder for the proper rise.
Why did my scones spread?
The butter got too warm. Ensure the butter is rock-hard when you start and keep the finished scones in the fridge for 10 minutes before popping them into the oven if you worked slowly.