You should lightly knead scone dough, but only a few times (around 3-10) to bring it together and smooth it out, not like bread dough; over-handling develops gluten and makes scones tough, while a gentle knead helps create structure for a good rise and prevents them from being too crumbly. The key is minimal, light handling to just combine and smooth, then resting the dough before cutting.
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. The less you knead the mix, the less the gluten will tighten up – which means your scones will stay loose and crumbly, rather than tight and springy.
Soft, fluffy scones come from using very cold butter, gentle mixing (don't overwork!), a good leavening agent like baking powder, and often buttermilk or cream, with chilling the dough before baking being a key secret to creating steam pockets for lift and a tender texture. The combination of cold fat and minimal gluten development creates flaky layers and airy insides.
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.
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.
Common mistakes when making scones include using warm ingredients (butter, eggs, cream), overmixing the dough (leading to toughness), twisting the cutter (hindering rise), not chilling the dough enough, and adding too much liquid at once. To avoid these, use ice-cold butter and liquids, mix gently until just combined, press the cutter straight down, chill the shaped scones before baking, and gradually add liquid to achieve the right slightly tacky, not sticky, consistency.
Recipe tips
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, 5 or 6 turns. Pat or roll dough out into a 1/2-inch thick round. Cut into 8 wedge-shaped pieces and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake scones in the preheated oven until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.
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.
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.
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.
Bicarbonate of soda gives off carbon dioxide, which expands in a mixture. Once the mixture is cooked, the carbon dioxide is replaced by air, leaving a light cake or bread. As with all raising agents, use the amount specified in the recipe.
Avoid overworking your scone dough when shaping. Don't overbake! If you bake scones too long, they'll dry out, so keep an eye on them through the oven window. (Don't open the oven to look — it'll let out the heat.)
For super fluffy scones, make sure to not over-mix and resist the urge to knead the dough too much. “Ditch the spoon and use a flat-bladed knife when mixing the ingredients together,” Alison adds. “When patting the dough into a disc, do it quickly and lightly and avoid overworking the dough.”
Rested dough is far easier to shape cleanly than unrefrigerated dough is, and it bakes up noticeably taller, smoother, and with crispier edges.
You may already know this one, but it's incredibly important to avoid overworking your dough. Some recipes recommend using a food processor, but Recipe Tester Alison Adams says this is too much, and doing so will result in a chewy scone.
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones
Scones and biscuits both need a hot, quick bake. The high, quick heat is needed to turn that butter into nice steamy air pockets without leaving pools of butter on the cookie sheet.
Knead lightly no more than 10 times just to bring the dough together into one smooth ball, then pat down into a 2 cm / 4/5″ thick disc. Dust with extra flour if necessary (I don't need it). Optional: Lightly roll across the top with a rolling pin to smooth the top. Dip a 5 cm / 2″ round cutter into Extra Flour.
Overworking the dough: when you overwork your dough, your scones can come out tough and chewy, rather than that desired light, crumbly texture. The trick is to use light pressure and only the work the dough until it just comes together.
You want to work the dough just enough to add some structure, until the dough is smooth and supple, which does two things. Firstly it develops the gluten allowing everything to hold together, preventing crumbly scones.
If you've been kneading for 10-12 minutes and your arms are tired, the dough is probably good. (If you get tired before that time is up, it's ok to rest for a few minutes and come back to it.)
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.
Soft, fluffy scones come from using very cold butter, gentle mixing (don't overwork!), a good leavening agent like baking powder, and often buttermilk or cream, with chilling the dough before baking being a key secret to creating steam pockets for lift and a tender texture. The combination of cold fat and minimal gluten development creates flaky layers and airy insides.
Is heavy cream or buttermilk better for scones? While either can be used, heavy cream results in richer, more dense scones, while buttermilk can add a slight tanginess and result in a more cakey texture.