Easy scones recipe (from 6 months+) (2024)

Some things in life are useful to know, especially when faced with on-the-edge situations.

For example, knowing how to swim. I don’t know how to, nobody taught me and I hope to God I won’t be in the position to need this skill.

Unlike swimming, I recently learned a easy scones recipe that uses only 3 basic ingredients and is easily adaptable to whatever you have on hand, provided you stick to the foundation ratio of 3-1-2.

In sticky situations like “what-do-I-make-for-breakfast-that-doesn’t-take-ages”, scones are the easy way out.

For more 3 ingredient recipes, I have gathered 30+ in a collection available as an ebook. For more details, click on the image below.

Wait, is there a foolproof basic easy scones recipe?

Yes, and you only need to remember 3 digits to make it work for you, always.

You will need:

3 parts self-raising flour
1 part fat (usually cold diced butter)
2 parts liquid (usually milk)

Let’s have a closer look at each of these elements. And get your oven heating up, as you will be making these before you know it.

The dry ingredient: flour

Ideally, self-raising is best, as it already has the raising agent already incorporated.

However, I always have plain flour in the house and I can easily make it self-raising if I want to.

Roughly, for 100g of plain flour I add 1 teaspoon baking powder to make it self-raising.

I would advise making these with white flour first, so that you get used to the right consistency and how it should feel and look like.

Then, you are free to substitute this partially with ground oats and other types of flour that you might have in the house, like wholewheat or spelt. Just bear in mind the liquid might need adjusting, depending on the absorption degree of a particular flour. I wouldn’t recommend replacing 100% of the white flour, though.

The fat ingredient: cold diced butter

I haven’t made these with anything other than butter, because it gives them the richness and fluffyness that is specific to this type of bake or quick bread.

The butter is rubbed in using your fingertips, so it will get a bit messy, but given the quickness of this scones recipe, it is worth it.

The wet ingredient

This is the easiest ingredient to substitute, especially if your little one has a dairy intolerance or allergy.

I find milk the easiest and tastiest, but you can use water, juice, or other types of dairy like buttermilk, kefir or sana; even yogurt. Start with a 1:1 substitution and go from there.

For extra protein and nutritional boost, you can also substitute part of the liquid with eggs, bearing in mind that one egg is roughly 50g in weight.

What else can I put in this scone recipe?

The great part of this type of bake is that you can make it sweet or savoury.

I went for blueberries here, cause I had a lot to go through and prevent waste, but here’s what you can also use:

other sweet stuff, like raisins, sultanas, chocolate chips, nuts and so on

savoury things, like grated cheddar, chopped vegetables and so on

Any filling that works with muffins should work here too. But try to keep them at a minimum to avoid soggy scones and any fillings with excessive moisture should be squeezed first.

The mixing

The key to fluffy and well risen scones is not to overmix after adding the liquid.

When you see no more dry patches of flour in your dough, you stop mixing.

Also, it is best if you use a knife to help with mixing, instead of a wooden or stainless steel spoon, as you don’t want to lose the air that you incorporate when mixing the dough.

How to bake the scones

The oven needs to be hot.

Hotter than your usual cake or muffin bakes.

200 Celcius in a fan oven is equivalent to 220 Celsius in an electric oven and 450F in Fahrenheit.

Because the oven is so hot, the bake itself is not very long. About 15 minutes gives them the right colour, but feel free to extend it to 20 minutes if you feel like it. Just pay attention so that they don’t burn.

Get ready, set, let’s bake some scones!

With all these being said, you can find the exact quantities I used below. I had 7 scones in the end.

You can go a step further and brush with milk or beaten egg on top, but sometimes… less is more.

Ingredients

300g (2 US cups) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g (1/4 cups + 3 tbsp) cold butter, diced
200g milk (1 US cup)
150g (1 US cup) blueberries

Instructions

Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a bowl.
Using your fingers, rub the butter in the flour until resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the milk, then the blueberries and mix using a knife, until you can't see anymore dry spots of flour.
Take your dough and spread it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, until it is 2cm thick.
Cut into triangles or circles and spread them a bit so air can circulate in between.
(Optional) Brush with extra milk or beaten egg on top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 200C(fan)/220C(electric)/425F/Gas mark 7.

Notes

1. If no self-raising flour, use plain flour + 3 teaspoons baking powder

2. If no blueberries, you can find other ideas in the blog post above or you can leave plain.

FAQs

What to avoid when making scones? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones

Using anything but cold ingredients. The secret to the flakiest scones is to start with cold ingredients — cold butter, cold eggs, and cold cream. ...
Only using all-purpose flour. ...
Overmixing the dough. ...
Not chilling the dough before baking. ...
Baking them ahead of time.

May 1, 2019

Read On ›

How long do you have to refrigerate scones before baking? ›

Keep scone dough as cold as possible. To avoid over-spreading, I recommend chilling the shaped scones for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator before baking. In fact, you can even refrigerate overnight for a quick breakfast in the morning! Bake until golden brown.

Get More Info ›

Why are my scones not fluffy? ›

Not using enough leavening agent. Placing scones far away from each other on the baking tray. Not preheating the oven before putting in the scones. Low-quality ingredients.

Learn More ›

What type of flour is best for scones? ›

Cake flour is finer and lower in protein, which makes lighter and fluffier scones. If you don't have any on hand, a simple blend of all-purpose flour and a bit of cornstarch makes a great substitute. Simply whisk together 1¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch.

Learn More Now ›

Is it better to make scones with butter or oil? ›

For example, if you substitute oil for butter or margarine, you can significantly reduce the amount of saturated fat in your baked goods. This streamlined recipe for Light Scones uses just 3 tablespoons of canola oil, which contains a fraction of the saturated fat found in butter or margarine.

Get More Info Here ›

How do you make scones rise higher? ›

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

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Should you chill scone dough before baking? ›

Not chilling the dough before baking: to really ace your scones, it helps to chill your dough again before it's baked. Using cold ingredients does help, but your hands will warm up the dough when you're working with it and the extra step of chilling will help you get the best result.

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Why are scones bad for you? ›

Although convenient and tasty, scones are a complete loss. They are typically extremely high in calories from the heavy butter and cream. And, although scones with fruit might seem healthier, most are even higher in calories and still high in saturated fat. Steer clear of scones.

Is it better to freeze scones baked or unbaked? ›

I'd recommend freezing them unbaked. The crumb is a lot more delicate once they're baked and more susceptible to moisture migration, leading to them being soggy or stale (or both! at the same time!)

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Why are my scones heavy and dense? ›

My scones have a dense, heavy texture and poor volume

You may have used too little raising agent or over handled the dough before it was baked. The oven may have been too cool.

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What are the differences between American style scones and British style scones? ›

British scones are more closely related to American biscuits. While a British "biscuit" is what we would call a crunchy cookie! Sometimes made with raisins or sultanas, British scones are on the plain side compared with American scones, which are typically heavily flavored and topped with a drizzle or glaze.

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What happens if you put too much milk in scones? ›

Adding the milk all at once

The quantity and order in which you add ingredients to your scone dough will alter its texture and consistency. If you add too much liquid, it will come out wet and not hold its shape.

Is buttermilk or cream better for scones? ›

Dairy: Buttermilk is a signature ingredient of biscuits while cream or milk is a more typical moistening ingredient in scones.