Scone dough should be soft and slightly sticky (tacky), not dry or overly wet, like a shaggy, moist dough that just comes together, to ensure light, fluffy scones; adding too much flour makes them dense, while too much liquid (or overmixing) makes them tough, so handle it minimally and use cold ingredients.
The secret to good scones is keeping ingredients and dough extremely cold, handling the dough as little as possible to avoid toughness, and baking in a hot oven, using techniques like grating cold butter and chilling the shaped scones before baking for maximum flakiness and rise. Don't overmix; stop mixing as soon as the dough just comes together, and cut scones with a straight, decisive motion without twisting the cutter to ensure they rise high and straight.
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. Besides setting a timer, you can also look for visual cues that your scones are finished.
Be careful not to overwork the dough to avoid melting the butter. Tip: The mix-ins you use and the humidity in your kitchen can affect the texture of your scone dough. It should be soft, but not sticky. Don't hesitate to work in a little extra flour if it feels too sticky or to add more liquid if it feels too dry.
Overmixing the dough can result in gluten development, leading to a tougher and drier scone. Insufficient liquid, such as not adding enough milk or buttermilk, can also result in a dry texture. It's important to handle the dough gently and only mix until the ingredients are combined.
Freeze the dough
Alison says that by freezing the dough before baking, your butter will stay solid, creating little air pockets in the scones once cooked. This gives them a super soft and airy texture when the scones rise.
Avoid using a food processor to mix scones: A food processor will work, but it often overworks the scone dough. We recommend using your hands until the mixture comes together. Overworking the dough will lead to scones that are tough and chewy, rather than light and flaky.
Go Light on the Wet Ingredients
In fact, adding too much liquid to any basic scone recipe can create a dense texture that isn't very appetizing. To avoid overdoing it, only add half of the amount of called-for buttermilk to the dry ingredients. Then begin mixing your dough and slowly add more liquid as needed.
You'll know if the dough becomes very sticky. It will seem unmanageable if its too hydrated but stay with it.
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.
Place pan of shaped scones into the freezer for up to 30 minutes before baking. This short rest relaxes the gluten, making scones more tender; and cold chills the fat, increasing flakiness.
If you roll it out too thin your scones will be flat; too thick and they are likely to lean to one side when baking. 6. To help scones rise evenly, always cut the scones straight down and up, without twisting the cutter.
Rested dough is far easier to shape cleanly than unrefrigerated dough is, and it bakes up noticeably taller, smoother, and with crispier edges.
But frozen grated butter is the real key to success. Like with pie crust, work the cold butter into the dry ingredients to create crumbs. The butter/flour crumbs melt as the scones bake, releasing steam and creating air pockets. These pockets create a flaky center while keeping the edges crumbly and crisp.
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.
The high fat content of butter keeps the sponge moist and tender whilst also providing a delicious buttery flavour that you won't get with margarine or oils. Let your butter come to room temperature if baking a sponge, keep it as cool as possible in the refrigerator if making pastry or scones.
In these loaves, wetter isn't better. In the Goldilocks zone between stiff and slack, a medium-hydration dough supports a high-rising loaf that handles nicely and contains enough water to keep the loaf moist for days (if it lasts that long).
If the dough is floppy-overwet from the point of mixing onward, then it may be overhydrated compared with how you want / the recipe depicts it should feel. But if the dough mixed up fairly tight and only feels goopy by the time you're shaping or scoring it – then you've likely overfermented or overproofed the dough.
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones
Choosing the right leavening agent.
Many scone recipes call for self-raising flour, which includes a leavening agent. If you're using plain flour, you'll need to add baking powder to ensure your scones rise properly. Keep in mind that baking powder and baking soda are not interchangeable.
Overmixed batter will result in baked goods that are chewy and dense in texture. They also might have a gummy texture. Yuck! When I add flour to a dough/batter with my mixer, I mix until there is still a little flour visible.
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.