A master scone recipe — plain or loaded with fruit, chocolate chips, or nuts. Freezing the shaped scones before baking is the secret to a higher rise and flakier texture.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2¾ cups (326g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (or Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour)
- ⅓ cup (67g) sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup (113g) cold butter
- 1 to 2 cups chopped dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, or a combination (optional)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or other flavoring)
- ½ to ⅔ cup (113g to 152g) half-and-half or milk
Topping
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 2 tablespoons coarse white sparkling sugar or cinnamon sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Work in the cold butter until the mixture is unevenly crumbly — some larger chunks of butter are fine.
- Stir in the fruit, chips, and/or nuts if using.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and half-and-half or milk.
- Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir until everything is moistened and holds together.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top.
- Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment and divide in half. Round each half into a 5” circle (no add-ins) or 6” circle (with add-ins); circles should be about ¾” thick.
- Brush each circle with milk and sprinkle with sparkling or cinnamon sugar if desired.
- Using a knife run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.
- Carefully pull the wedges apart to leave about ½” of space between them at the outer edges.
- Place the pan in the freezer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F with a rack in the upper third. (Chilling relaxes the gluten for tenderness, chills the fat for flakiness, and gives more rise.)
- Bake in the upper part of the oven for 18 to 23 minutes, until light golden brown. When you pull one away from the others the edge should look fully baked, not wet or raw.
- Remove from the oven and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm with butter and jam.
- Once completely cool, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for several days. To reheat, place on a baking sheet, tent with foil, and warm in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.