Big Fluffy Scones

Big Fluffy Scones
Finally, a foolproof recipe for scones that actually works every time, and explains the do's and dont's of scone making to ensure that your scones rise and have a fluffy melt-in-your-mouth texture. It is of course Paul Hollywood's recipe, and what's even better is that you can download the .pdf from the BBC Food website, print it off then add it to your recipe file. Have a read of my top tips below then download the perfect fluffy scone recipe.


Here's my top 10 tips for perfect fluffy scones:
  1. Use strong flour instead of plain flour
  2. Use cold ingredients so that the butter doesn't melt until it's baking, then it will form nice pockets and layers as it rises
  3. Don't knead or overwork the dough else it will become tough, just mix it gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated
  4. Your dough mixture should be wetter and stickier than you might think
  5. Flour your surface and the top of the dough well, then fold it over, rotate and repeat the folding a few times to get layers of air and flour into the dough
  6. Roll your dough out nice and thick, about 2.5cm. It should double in height when baking
  7. Flour your cutter to stop the dough from sticking for nice edges, and never twist your cutter as this will stop the scones from rising evenly
  8. When glazing, only glaze the top as if any drips down it will prevent an even rise
  9. Arrange your scones so that they are almost touching on a lined baking tray. This will keep the sides straight and even as the scones cook
  10. Preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes to make sure that it is nice and hot (220ºC or 200ºC fan oven)

16 comments:

  1. Thank you I will use some of your tips tomorrow and good luck if you open your own cafe

    ReplyDelete
  2. What is 'strong' flour'?

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are amazing! My scones have always been more of a "rock" than a scone! I'd like to try sultanas in my next batch - what weight would you recommend? And presumably it's best to add the fruit just before the milk goes in? Ooo and cheese ones too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes add 75g of sultanas to dry ingredients. Yummy !

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sorry - these are nice but they are not real scones - egg? baking powder? really??more like cakes!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello. I put my dry ingredients 'flour, sugar, baking powder', into my food processor and mix them at high speed. Then I add the butter as the machine is working. Could I be damaging the flour using this method and could that be the reason my scones (although delicious) never rise evenly. I follow all the tips regarding flouring the cutter and not twisting it and do not allow the egg wash to go down the sides.

    Dennis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Flour should always be worked as little as possible for soft and fluffy cakes. Try mixing your dry ingredients by hand instead - it only needs a few seconds of stirring. Keep your mixer on the slowest setting after adding the butter and stop it as soon as it's incorporated. Once flour is mixed with wet ingredients - it gets tougher and tougher the more you work it as the gluten stretches.

      Delete
    2. Thank you for the reply. I will give your suggestion a try.

      Dennis

      Delete
  7. Well I tried your method, not using the processor. I even gave the flour-sugar - baking powder mix three 'high' sieving's to get air into it. Result = lop-sided scones again! I did not overwork the mix - just to get the 'breadcrumb' stage! I should state that my processor is not the type with a bowl and mixing paddle. Mine has two blades, rather like a blender.

    Dennis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Try placing your scones so they just touch each other, They will support each other and stop the lopsidedness they break apart easily after baking.

      Delete
  8. I have cutters with little handles on so I can cut the dough really quickly, sharply and cleanly as this can also cause lop-sidedness

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like the huge cheese scones that I buy from my local garden centre, can you give me a list of the ingredients that I will need to make yours, thank you

    ReplyDelete
  10. Scones not meant to be hard,soft and divine

    ReplyDelete