Yes, scone dough should be chilled, often both before and after shaping, to keep the butter cold, which creates pockets that steam and result in flaky, tall scones and prevents them from spreading too much in the oven. A final chill of 15-30 minutes (or even overnight) is a key step for tender, well-risen scones, similar to pie crust techniques.
Keep the dough cold: The scones need to be cold when going into the oven. Placing the shaped dough into the freezer for 30 minutes ensures the scones will bake up light and fluffy. Alternatively, you can place the scone dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Scone dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Do not let the dough come to room temperature before baking. Place the cold dough on your baking sheet.
Common mistakes when making scones include using warm ingredients (butter, eggs, cream), overmixing or overworking the dough (leading to toughness), twisting the cutter when shaping (preventing even rise), not chilling the cut scones before baking (allowing butter to melt), and overcrowding the baking sheet. Using a high-protein flour, not preheating the oven, and adding all liquids at once also hinder perfect scone texture, resulting in dense or dry results instead of light and flaky ones.
The 15-minute rule is designed to ensure that your scones don't get too brown in the oven. Overbaking this delicate pastry will only cause it to dry out, thus rendering it dry and flavorless.
Handle scone dough gently: “Overmixing leads to too much gluten development, which leads to tough, dense scones, instead of flaky, moist ones,” says Bethany. Once you've added the liquid in your recipe, mix the dough gently until just combined — and no more.
The proofing time for bread dough varies based on the dough's makeup (amount of preferment, flour choices, and hydration) and the temperature at which it's proofed. The dough should generally be proofed for around 1 to 4 hours at a warm temperature or overnight (or more) at a cold refrigerator temperature.
Baking tips for making the perfect scones
Similar to the crumpets and croissants, scones are also processed and are often accompanied by extra sugary condiments. “Scones have likely been added because of their high sugar and saturated fat content, particularly when served with jam and clotted cream,” highlights Trueman.
A 1-2-3-4 cake is all ratio: 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, 4 eggs. It's the kind of recipe you remember by heart, but it's not without its quirks. Four eggs bring structure and richness, yes, but also protein, which can lead to a cake that's more dry than delightful.
Just 30 minutes will do the trick if you're simply looking to avoid your cookies spreading all over the place. If you have the luxury of chilling the dough overnight to develop flavor, go for it.
Top tricks I learnt from the experts for baking perfect scones:
American scones use much more butter than British scones, and they usually have quite a bit more sugar. The extra butter is what makes them so much denser. This is not really a good or bad thing, as British scones pile on plenty of sugar (in the form of preserves/jam) and butter or clotted cream as toppings.
If you want to make scones ahead (but don't want them to become stale), we suggest prepping your scone dough ahead of time and then either chilling it in the fridge or freezing it, depending on when you plan to bake them.
Chilling the Dough Why Chill?: Chilling the dough allows the fat in the dough to firm up, which helps control spreading during baking. It also helps the flavors develop better. Time: Chilling for at least 30 minutes is recommended for most cookie doughs, though some benefit from even longer chilling (up to 24 hours).
It should just come together and you should be able to handle it without it being really sticky. * Place the dough on a floured surface and knead a couple of times just to remove any cracks. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.
Croissants are packed with butter, and scones and muffins are typically large individually-baked pieces of cake. A plain croissant is really your best bet, ranging from 240 to 350 calories. As for muffins and scones, they start in the 400-calorie range.
1. Processed Meats Like Bacon, Hot Dogs, and Cold Cuts. Processed meats like bologna, ham, and bacon are high in calories and salt and are linked to increased risk of heart disease due to their impact on cholesterol and blood pressure, says Julia Zumpano, RD, registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
For it turns out that scones are … fattening. A Food Standards Agency (FSA) report has found that the average scone contains 408 calories, with the best – sorry, most fattening – clocking up a remarkable 756 calories and 39.2g of sugar.
Arrange scones side by side on the baking tray, so that they are just touching each other. This will help keep the sides straight and even as the scones cook. They will also rise higher than scones that are baked spaced apart.
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the top is golden and it sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven, then transfer onto dish towel and wrap loosely (makes top soft). Once cooled to warm (10 – 15 minutes), serve warm. Tradition is to split the scone with hands (no knife!), slather with jam and dollop on cream.
There's no need to let dough that's been correctly fermented to come to room temperature before baking. You can absolutely bake it straight from the fridge. If your dough needs further BF, then you can let it come to room temp and finish fermenting.
This means you can put your dough in the fridge overnight or whilst you are at work and come back to it when you are ready. Putting your dough, whether yeasted or sourdough, in the fridge will help it to develop a better flavour and texture.
If your recipe calls for a 1- to 3-hour rise at room temperature (either first or second rise), opt for a long (8- to 12-hour) rise in the refrigerator. It can last up to about 16 hours, depending on the recipe, but be careful not to let the bread dough overproof.