Basic scone recipe: 59 photos

7 Baking Tips for Making Better Scones

• For a better rise, use cold butter — or even frozen butter. ...
• When it comes to mixing, don't overdo it; mix until the dough just comes together. ...
• Use pastry flour for the lightest scones. ...
• Once you've shaped your scones, chill them before baking, Youngman says.

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones

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

Scones are typically made using a quick bread method with a higher ratio of liquid to flour, and sometimes no butter at all, says Snyder. In contrast, biscuits have a high ratio of butter, and the lamination process needed to achieve flaky layers is a key differentiator to scones.

all-purpose flour. Use all-purpose flour for a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely, both in and out of the oven. To make more delicate, lower-rising, cake-like scones, substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1 to 2 tablespoons, using just enough to bring the dough together.);})();(function(){window.jsl.dh(GVvHZtKnAtrawPAPooajqQs__102,

These beautiful baked goods are very easy to make, but equally, there is lots of room for error and the result can sometimes be hard, tough inedible lumps of dough. The biggest secret to scone success? Mixing as little as possible and as lightly as possible.