Easy scones recipe (from 6 months+) (2024)

Some things in life are useful to know, especially when faced with on-the-edge situations.

For example, knowing how to swim. I don’t know how to, nobody taught me and I hope to God I won’t be in the position to need this skill.

Unlike swimming, I recently learned a easy scones recipe that uses only 3 basic ingredients and is easily adaptable to whatever you have on hand, provided you stick to the foundation ratio of 3-1-2.

In sticky situations like “what-do-I-make-for-breakfast-that-doesn’t-take-ages”, scones are the easy way out.

For more 3 ingredient recipes, I have gathered 30+ in a collection available as an ebook. For more details, click on the image below.

Wait, is there a foolproof basic easy scones recipe?

Yes, and you only need to remember 3 digits to make it work for you, always.

You will need:

3 parts self-raising flour
1 part fat (usually cold diced butter)
2 parts liquid (usually milk)

Let’s have a closer look at each of these elements. And get your oven heating up, as you will be making these before you know it.

The dry ingredient: flour

Ideally, self-raising is best, as it already has the raising agent already incorporated.

However, I always have plain flour in the house and I can easily make it self-raising if I want to.

Roughly, for 100g of plain flour I add 1 teaspoon baking powder to make it self-raising.

I would advise making these with white flour first, so that you get used to the right consistency and how it should feel and look like.

Then, you are free to substitute this partially with ground oats and other types of flour that you might have in the house, like wholewheat or spelt. Just bear in mind the liquid might need adjusting, depending on the absorption degree of a particular flour. I wouldn’t recommend replacing 100% of the white flour, though.

The fat ingredient: cold diced butter

I haven’t made these with anything other than butter, because it gives them the richness and fluffyness that is specific to this type of bake or quick bread.

The butter is rubbed in using your fingertips, so it will get a bit messy, but given the quickness of this scones recipe, it is worth it.

The wet ingredient

This is the easiest ingredient to substitute, especially if your little one has a dairy intolerance or allergy.

I find milk the easiest and tastiest, but you can use water, juice, or other types of dairy like buttermilk, kefir or sana; even yogurt. Start with a 1:1 substitution and go from there.

For extra protein and nutritional boost, you can also substitute part of the liquid with eggs, bearing in mind that one egg is roughly 50g in weight.

What else can I put in this scone recipe?

The great part of this type of bake is that you can make it sweet or savoury.

I went for blueberries here, cause I had a lot to go through and prevent waste, but here’s what you can also use:

other sweet stuff, like raisins, sultanas, chocolate chips, nuts and so on

savoury things, like grated cheddar, chopped vegetables and so on

Any filling that works with muffins should work here too. But try to keep them at a minimum to avoid soggy scones and any fillings with excessive moisture should be squeezed first.

The mixing

The key to fluffy and well risen scones is not to overmix after adding the liquid.

When you see no more dry patches of flour in your dough, you stop mixing.

Also, it is best if you use a knife to help with mixing, instead of a wooden or stainless steel spoon, as you don’t want to lose the air that you incorporate when mixing the dough.

How to bake the scones

The oven needs to be hot.

Hotter than your usual cake or muffin bakes.

200 Celcius in a fan oven is equivalent to 220 Celsius in an electric oven and 450F in Fahrenheit.

Because the oven is so hot, the bake itself is not very long. About 15 minutes gives them the right colour, but feel free to extend it to 20 minutes if you feel like it. Just pay attention so that they don’t burn.

Get ready, set, let’s bake some scones!

With all these being said, you can find the exact quantities I used below. I had 7 scones in the end.

You can go a step further and brush with milk or beaten egg on top, but sometimes… less is more.

Ingredients

300g (2 US cups) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g (1/4 cups + 3 tbsp) cold butter, diced
200g milk (1 US cup)
150g (1 US cup) blueberries

Instructions

Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a bowl.
Using your fingers, rub the butter in the flour until resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the milk, then the blueberries and mix using a knife, until you can't see anymore dry spots of flour.
Take your dough and spread it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, until it is 2cm thick.
Cut into triangles or circles and spread them a bit so air can circulate in between.
(Optional) Brush with extra milk or beaten egg on top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 200C(fan)/220C(electric)/425F/Gas mark 7.

Notes

1. If no self-raising flour, use plain flour + 3 teaspoons baking powder

2. If no blueberries, you can find other ideas in the blog post above or you can leave plain.

FAQs

What is the secret to making good scones? ›

Top tricks I learnt from the experts for baking perfect scones:

Resist the twist.
Use frozen butter.
Don't overwork the dough.
Freeze the dough. ...
Create rise and shine.
Follow this recipe.
Reduce the juice.
Fresh is best.

May 10, 2024

Should you sift flour for scones? ›

First and foremost, brilliant scones are about having the confidence to do as little as possible. 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.

Read The Full Story ›

Why are my scones heavy and dense? ›

My scones have a dense, heavy texture and poor volume

You may have used too little raising agent or over handled the dough before it was baked. The oven may have been too cool.

Get More Info Here ›

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.

Discover More ›

What are the qualities of a perfect scone? ›

Among the myriad baked goods in the breakfast pastry canon, scones are uniquely delicious in their humble simplicity. The best scones have a crisp, slightly caramelized exterior and a tender, buttery, just-sweet interior. They can be dressed up with a glaze, studded with fruit or nuts, or gently spiced.

Get More Info ›

What is the best raising agent for scones and why? ›

As well as the raising agent in the flour, baking powder adds a bit of lift to scones. Baking powder is a convenient choice as it is a ready-mixed leavening agent, generally made of bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar (usually some cornflour too).