For me, nothing seems quite as ‘British’ as the idea of a large scone covered in jam and cream, accompanied by a nice cup of tea. There’s something calming about this image, and I think the act of baking scones itself comforting. However, scones vary greatly in shape and size, as well as quality. There’s nothing more disappointing than cutting open a scone and finding it stodgy and hard. No one wants a brick as a base for their jam and cream. Far and wide have I searched for the perfect scone recipe that will give me soft and fluffy scones, yet that are still substantial enough for me to slather on toppings. These fluffy buttermilk scones adapted from Mary Berry’s recipe is the answer.
This recipe uses buttermilk, which is the key to the fluffiness and lightness. When it reacts with the baking powder in the mixture, it allows the scones to rise properly and create the beautiful airy texture. I love using buttermilk in baking. Look out for my favourite buttermilk waffle recipe coming soon, that have a beautiful fluffy texture too!
There are a few types of buttermilk, the most common being the thicker kind found in a plastic pot. In this recipe, I used the thinner kind, found in what looks like a milk carton. Either is fine, but if using the thinner kind, you may need slightly less to get the dough to the right consistency for these fluffy buttermilk scones. I find adding it a little at a time until the dough looks right works well. However, if you end up with a dough that is too wet, don’t worry. You can just add some more flour until it looks right. For help on what the dough should look like see the picture method below.
These scones can be adapted to fit whatever you like. You can add some citrus, with some lemon or orange zest. Alternatively, you could add dried fruit or chocolate chips for extra sweetness. You could even make them savoury by omitting the sugar and adding cheese and chives for example. The possibilities are endless – but either way, you will still have the delicious fluffy texture that makes these scones so tasty. Give them a try!
Fluffy Buttermilk Scones
Ingredients
- 225 g self raising flour
- 1 heaped tsp baking powder
- 40 g butter
- 40 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 100-140 ml buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C, and grease a baking tray with a little butter.
- Add the flour, baking powder and butter to a bowl and rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. For a quicker method, you can blitz the ingredients in a food processor.
- Stir in the sugar, and any additional ingredients.
- Beat the egg and buttermilk in a jug, set 1 tbsp aside for the egg wash later, and gradually add the rest to the flour mixture. You may not need it all – the dough should be moist, but still shapable. If you have added too much, try adding some flour to make the dough a little less wet.
- Sprinkle a surface with some flour and tip the dough out. Knead with your hands for a few minutes until it is smooth. Roll with a rolling pin to about 1 inch thick.
- Using a scone cutter, cut out 7-8 scones and place on the baking sheet. Brush with the egg wash you saved from earlier.
- Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden on top. Leave to cool slightly, and then slice and serve with fresh cream and jam (or any toppings you wish).
Gather your ingredients
Chop the butter into smaller pieces
Add the butter to the flour and baking powder
Rub the butter in using your fingertips
Until it looks like breadcrumbs
Stir in the sugar
Add your egg to the buttermilk
And beat to combine
Add the egg and buttermilk to the flour mixture a little at a time
Until it looks like this - you may not need all the buttermilk
Grease a baking tray with butter
On a floured surface, knead and roll out the mixture
It should be 1 inch thick
Cut 7-8 scones out with a cutter
And place onto the baking tray
Brush the scones with egg wash
Bake for 12-15 minutes
Whip some double cream
Until peaks form
And serve with jam and cream