Scones have been a staple in the UK for hundreds of years.
While the origin of the sweet treats isn’t clearly documented, they are widely believed to originate from Scotland in the early 16th century.
The first known mention of a scone was in 1513, in a Scottish poem by Sir David Lyndsay. And they’ve since become a staple in British and Irish baking, often associated with the traditional practice of afternoon tea.
But despite being hugely popular, people can still struggle to bake them. So if you are struggling in this department, fear not.
Great British Bake Off star Paul Hollywood outlined his easy recipe on TikTok – and also shared the mistakes that many home bakers make. Here’s everything you need to know.
Paul advises: “Egg wash the top, try not to egg wash the sides. If it goes down the sides too much, it creates a glue, and prevents it from rising up.
“Lumps are bad in a scone because you don’t want a big lump of butter in there. You’ll end up with just butter pouring all over your tray, which is what you don’t want. Use the 15 minutes of a scone in the oven as a good rule. 15 minutes bang on is 99% of the time going to be spot on.”
Viewers were grateful for the advice, with one saying: “Those look so good.” Another commented: “I love hearing him talk, and he’s adorable to watch.” And a third quipped: “Wow, for 30 years. You have been making them since you were nine-years-old.”
Keen to give it a whirl? Dive into Paul’s recipe below…
Ingredients
- 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust
- 25g baking powder
- 80g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 medium eggs
- 250ml milk
- 80g caster sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
- Icing sugar, to dust
- Jam
- Clotted cream
Method
- Take some baking paper, and line two baking trays. In a large bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together. Then add the butter and use your fingers to rub it together for a few minutes until it forms a breadcrumb-like texture.
- In a seperate bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and sugar. Add this to the flour mixture, and stir together until it all binds together and forms a ball.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold it a couple of times to add some air, but make sure you don’t knead it. You want to be left with a loose, soft dough.
- Use a rolling pin to gently roll it out to a 3cm thickness, and ensure there’s plenty of flour underneath so the dough doesn’t stick.
- Grab a scone cutter, and press firmly to cut out rounds and then pop onto the lined baking trays, while making sure to leave space in between.
- Brush the tops of the scones with a little beaten egg, and put them into the fridge for 20 minutes. This enables them to rest. Use this time to heat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7.
- Remove the scones from the fridge and brush them again with a little egg. Bake for 15 minutes until the scones rise and form a golden brown colour.
- Allow the scones to cool on a wire rack and, once cooled, dust lightly with icing sugar and serve as you wish.