Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (2024)

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This authentic Scottish Scones recipe is super easy to make and so flaky. Soft and crumbly, these delicate scones go wonderfully with a hot cup of tea or strong caffe’ latte.

Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (1)
A lazy Saturday morning deserves a scone fresh out of the oven slathered with your favorite jam. Any morning deserves a scone fresh out of the oven!

Authentic Scottish Scones recipe

I usually make pancakes or waffles on the weekend. My family recently has been requesting scones. I have been making scones over the years for the kids with different kind of chips (butterscotch, chocolate, white chocolate) and with fruits. I never make them with just freshly grated lemon zest.

I mentioned recently I’ve been finally catching up on recipes I wanted to try from Molly Wizenberg’s A Homemade Life. This was one of the recipes in the book I marked to try and it is a definite keeper!

Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (2)

What is a good scone?

My brother came over the other day and he was asking me what makes a really good, or rather, great scone? He asked how should the texture be? Hard? Soft? So I explained the texture should be crumbly and soft. Definitely it should not be tough and the less you work the dough, the more delicate your scone will be!

The tangy zest of the lemon mixed with the sweetness of the strawberry jam is exquisite. Delicate scones go wonderfully with a hot cup of tea or strong caffe’ latte (that’s the way I like them.

Scottish Scones
slightly adapted from Orangette

½ c milk (I used low-fat. You can use even heavy whipping cream if you like)
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
zest of one lemon
½ stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
3 Tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg and then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.

Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (3)

Rub the butter into the flour mixture, working until you have no lumps bigger than a pea. Add the sugar and toss to mix. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Bring dough together gently with a wooden spoon.

Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (4)

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it no more than 12 times. [Apparently, twelve is the magic number here; surpass it at your own risk.] Pat dough into a round approximately 1-inch thick, and cut into 8 wedges. Place on an ungreased baking sheet or a Silpat.

Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (5)

Using a pastry brush, brush milk onto the wedges.

Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack and serve with your favorite jam.

If you want to see some pretty scones with a sweet glaze, check out my darling friend Lindsey's delicious scones! Here are links to my Sour Cherry Scones with White Chocolate Chips and my Butterscotch Chip Scones. The Butterscotch Drop Scones are dangerous. That’s all I have to say.

My in-laws have been enjoying this wonderful Florida weather. We have been too! The intense humidity and days of temperature over 100 degrees are around the corner for us. This gorgeous sailboat passed in front of our view on one of her recent visits to the beach. I see them so often that I forget their beauty.

I take for granted the splendid colors of our ocean. I neglect to cherish simple images such as this as I’m sure my in-laws do the same with the beauty that surrounds them in Italy. I guess your eyes are no longer intrigued with what is common.

I smile every time I hear them say, “Che bello!” How beautiful. Yes, it is beautiful. I’m looking at the places I see every day with new eyes thanks to my in-laws. I appreciate my life a little bit more each day.

Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (6)
My mother-in-law was fascinated with these trees at the park the other day. She kept filming them and photographing them. The same spot, over and over again.

Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (7)

Can you think of somewhere in your city or town that you have taken for granted? Something simple and beautiful. Something that is unique and special? Take me to your city! Tell me all about it!

Thank you for stopping by and for your awesome comments!! I promise to post something I’ve recently made with Teresa (my mother-in-law). She moves so fast when she cooks it is difficult to photograph her!

Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (8)

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5 from 2 votes

Authentic Scottish Scones

This authentic Scottish Scones recipe is so easy to make and so flaky. Soft and crumbly, these delicate scones go wonderfully with a hot cup of tea or strong caffe’ latte.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: English

Keyword: Scones, tea time

Servings: 8 scones

Calories: 149kcal

Author: Lora

Ingredients

  • ½ cup milk you could use almond, oat or coconut milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • zest of one lemon
  • ½ stick 2 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and chilled (use vegan butter sticks if you like)
  • 3 Tbs sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg and then set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.

  • Rub the butter into the flour mixture, working until you have no lumps bigger than a pea. Add the sugar and toss to mix. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Bring dough together gently with a wooden spoon.

  • Turn dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it no more than 12 times. [Apparently, twelve is the magic number here; surpass it at your own risk.] Pat dough into a round approximately 1-inch thick, and cut into 8 wedges. Place on an ungreased baking sheet or a Silpat.

  • Using a pastry brush, brush milk onto the wedges.

  • Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack and serve with your favorite jam.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 54IU | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!

Authentic Scottish Scones Recipe-Soft and Crumbly Tea Scones (2024)

FAQs

What makes scones crumbly? ›

The less you knead the mix, the less the gluten will tighten up – which means your scones will stay loose and crumbly, rather than tight and springy. Make sure you sieve the flour and baking powder into your bowl. This means that the two will be well mixed together, which gives you a better chance of an even rise.

What is the difference between Scottish and English scones? ›

British scones are usually lightly sweetned and contain fruit like currants or berries. Scottish scones are often closer to a biscuit and are made with buttermilk, though some Scottish grandmothers will swear you should only use sour milk.

Why are my scones not flaky? ›

Handle scone dough gently: “Overmixing leads to too much gluten development, which leads to tough, dense scones, instead of flaky, moist ones,” says Bethany. Once you've added the liquid in your recipe, mix the dough gently until just combined — and no more.

What is the difference between a scone and a tea biscuit? ›

A biscuit is well-defined, light, and airy but still robust enough to eat with gravy or stew. A scone is dense, crumbly, and drier; it doesn't flake like a biscuit but rather crumbles into delicious goodness. A scone is also usually larger than a biscuit and has more liquid in its ingredients.

What is the secret to the best scone? ›

Top tricks I learnt from the experts for baking perfect scones:
  1. Resist the twist.
  2. Use frozen butter.
  3. Don't overwork the dough.
  4. Freeze the dough. ...
  5. Create rise and shine.
  6. Follow this recipe.
  7. Reduce the juice.
  8. Fresh is best.
May 10, 2024

What to avoid when making scones? ›

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.
May 1, 2019

What do Scottish people call scones? ›

In Scotland and Ulster, savoury varieties of scone include soda scones, also known as soda farls, sour dough scones known as soor dook scones made with sour milk, and potato scones, normally known as tattie scones, which resemble small, thin savoury pancakes made with potato flour.

What is a scone in Scotland? ›

n. 1. A large round cake of wheat or barley flour baked on an iron plate or Girdle and gen.

How do you keep scones from being crumbly? ›

Don't overwork the dough!

If the dough is too crumbly however, just add a touch of buttermilk, double cream or whatever thick liquid you're using. If the dough is too sticky, just add a touch of flour but remember not to put too much!

Should you chill scone dough before baking? ›

Keep scones cold before putting them in the oven: For best results, chill the mixture in the fridge before baking, this will help to stiffen up the butter again, which will stop your scones from slumping as soon as they hit the oven's heat.

Why aren t my scones light and fluffy? ›

Overworking the dough: when you overwork your dough, your scones can come out tough and chewy, rather than that desired light, crumbly texture. The trick is to use light pressure and only the work the dough until it just comes together.

What is scones with tea called? ›

A cream tea (also known as a Devon cream tea, Devonshire tea, or Cornish cream tea) is an afternoon tea consisting of tea, scones, clotted cream (or, less authentically, whipped cream), jam, and sometimes butter.

Are scones supposed to be hard or soft? ›

Scones are soft and tender, not chewy like a good loaf of sourdough.

What is an American biscuit called in the UK? ›

What is an American biscuit in the UK? The last piece of the puzzle, an American biscuit is a crumbly leavened quick bread similar to what we call a scone in the UK.

Why do scones collapse? ›

Try to leave your scones alone until the end of the cooking process and then quickly check them before removing. A sudden loss of heat from the oven when the scones aren't ready can also make them collapse.

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