In an effort to find the best scone recipe, I modified my Scottish grandmother’s recipe with my own additions and the well-known scone recipe from London’s illustrious Savoy hotel. I now think that I have perfected the best scone recipe ever! Serve with a variety of jams, butter, and clotted cream.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 scones |
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup dried currants
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
- Make the scones: Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or by rubbing between fingers until lumps are the size of peas. Stir in currants.
- Whisk milk and sour cream together in a measuring cup; gently stir into flour mixture until dough is moistened, being careful not to overwork the dough.
- With floured hands, pat dough into 2- to 3-inch diameter balls. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten lightly. Scones should slightly touch each other.
- Make the egg wash: Whisk egg and milk together. Brush the tops of scones with egg wash and let them rest for about 10 minutes.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Raisins can be substituted for currants.
- Scones can be reheated by splitting in half and toasting or by wrapping in aluminum foil and heating in the oven until heated through.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 247 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 35 g |
| Cholesterol | 47 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Sodium | 238 mg |
| Sugars | 13 g |
| Fat | 10 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Absolutely love this recipe – no changes except I freeze the butter and grate it into the flour – outstanding result (soft butter changes the texture and flavor) Also, sometimes I err on the heavy side of sour cream and reduce the milk amount…….delicious and almost like my Scottish grandmother’s…..
I used white grapes. They are Amazing
Far from world’s best. The taste of baking soda was overwhelming. Had to toss them.
This is an incredibly tasty, easy treat. I often skip the raisins and swap out the egg wash with melted butter and a Turbinado sugar sprinkle. This creates a beautiful, not too sweet scone loved by everyone who has tasted them.
I’ve made these several times and they have been perfect every time.
I followed the pastry chef’s idea and only added 3 tsp baking powder. I also added orange zest and chopped craisins – yum!
The best recipe ever. I grate 1/2 Cup of frozen , unsalted butter with a course cheese grater just before mixing the scone dough up. I keep the flour and other dry ingredients (nuts/fruit) in a sealed, metal mixing bowl in the fridge overnight. I take my freshly grated frozen butter and stir it into the dry mix distributing it well. Then I just whisk the egg and sour cream together and combine. I usually make 6, not 8. I just grab the dough with a generously floured hand and gentle form the scones. I bake on parchment, no need to grease. Baked mine 15-20 minutes as they are larger. These freeze extremely well and the air fryer resurrects them like they are fresh from the oven. Thank you for this amazing recipe. When my mom visits I make a double batch so we can enjoy them and she takes the rest home. Her favourite is toasted walnuts, and I like them with walnuts abs raisins.
Some of the best scones I have made. Deliciously light with a thin crisp outer layer .
It was helpful to create our very 1st scones.
So… ….good. I used pastry flour and butter with a higher fat content, and I didn’t let them sit ten minutes before putting in the oven. I also cut my butter up into small pieces, dust it with flour so the pieces don’t stick together and put in a bowl and put in the freezer for about an hour. Then right before mixing everything together, I take the butter out and break into pea sized pieces. Helps keep the butter solid until right before it goes in the oven.
It was the first time I made scones & they turned out delicious- light & fluffy! I read a lot of the reviews ahead of time & prepared the dough in a food processor & didn’t sift
What a simple and wonderful recipe! Great flavor and texture, and really easy to make! Instead of dried cranberries, I added chopped pecans, a few flaxseeds and about a teaspoon of cinnamon. YUM! :o)?
803rd rating. Believe the hype! Yes, these scones are that good. I read the reviews and took from the experiences of others ( which is why I love Allrecipes). I froze the butter, grated it, returned butter/flour to freezer. Made savory scones by omitting sugar. Used buttermilk and plain yogurt. Added cheddar cheese and green onions. Sprayed cooking spray on my bench scraper before cutting into triangles. They looked and smelled fantastic- and tasted great!!
I’m learning. I will make again. Next time easier. But they turned out fine
Very moist . They are not sweet but rather more like a biscuit . I added sanding sugar on the top to add same sweetness. I also used half and half instead of milk and added dried cherries. Could add white chocolate chips to add more sweetness if wanted.
Delicious recipe. Just as good as the ones I had on my trip to Ireland. Easy to make.
Excellent! Easy to make. I used fresh blueberries and they were delicious!
These are the best in the universe! And I’ve been to Scotland! Not dry, yet crumbly, just amazing….
The first time I made it exactly as per the recipe and it didn’t rise. I may have over mixed it even though I tried very hard not to. The second time I grated my 71g butter that was cold, into the mixture and then I put the whole mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes. I also did not use egg I used milk and I basically made a flat disc and put milk on the top and then separated it into eight portions. This time it rose beautifully
Wonderful!
I didn’t have a few items on hand so I had to sub the sour cream for full-fat Greek yogurt and the milk for heavy cream and these scones STILL turned out fabulous. Easy to pull apart or cut in half, great texture and not too sweet.