The Noble Scone – A Royal Recipe

English Scones (Official Buckingham Palace Recipe) 

Prep Time:  20 minutes
Resting Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 10 – 15 minutes 
Servings: 12 to 14 scones, depending on cutter size
Original Source: Adapted from Buckingham Palace and Unpeeledjournal.com

This recipe is taken from the on-line source below and has been edited for clarity by Nola Saint James.

https://unpeeledjournal.com/buckingham-palace-english-royal-scones-recipe/

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (500g)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder (28g)
Pinch of salt

7 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (94g)
1/2 cup sugar (86g)
3 eggs – 2 for the dough and 1 for an egg wash for the top of the scone
3/4 cup buttermilk, less 1 tablespoon (175ml)
2/3 cup sultanas or golden raisins, optional (100g) (You can also use black raisins.)

Instructions

  1.     For a regular home oven – preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) – Baking time will be approximately 12-15 minutes.

For a convection oven, set the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes.

  1.     If using raisins, soak them in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain well before adding them to the dough.  

PRO TIP: Why soak the raisins? Two reasons. One, it softens them, which tastes better in the finished recipe than a hard, tough little raisin. Secondly, it helps keep the scone dough moist. Raisins naturally want to rehydrate. By letting them soften in water, the hard raisins pull moisture from the water, not the scone dough.

  1.     Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, pinch of salt) and sugar together in a large bowl. Work the cold butter into the dry ingredients in small amounts as you would for a pie until the dough is crumbly. Work as quickly as possible. You don’t want the butter to melt.
  2.     In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk two eggs and the buttermilk together. Stir the liquid into the crumb mixture. Add the raisins, if using, and mix until evenly distributed. Continue to gently knead the dough by hand just until smooth.

PRO TIP: Do not overmix or knead the scones, as this could make the scones a bit tough and bready instead of tender.

  1.     Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto a clean countertop lightly dusted with flour. Lightly dust the top of the scones with flour. Flatten the dough to a 1” thickness.

Cut to the desired shape using a round biscuit cutter. 2-inch and 2 1/4-inch round cutters are standard sizes. For a 2” cutter, make the dough a little thinner. Place the scones on prepared baking sheets, cover and let them rest in the fridge for 1-11/2 hours.   

Resting the dough allows the gluten to relax. This helps achieve a tender, flaky scone.

PRO TIP: You could simply use the palm of your hand to flatten the dough. But I suggest a rolling pin for a more even result. Roll from the center out and rotate the dough as you go to prevent sticking.

  1.     When the scones are rested, whisk the third egg and gently egg wash the top of the scones with a pastry brush.

PRO TIP: If you do not have a pastry brush, just use your fingers or the back of a spoon.

  1.     Bake on baking sheets for around 12 to 15 minutes (see notes in Step 1) depending on your cutter size, until light golden brown. Leave at least 1 1/2″ of space between each scone. Cool on a wire rack before serving warm or at room temperature with jam and clotted cream.

PRO TIP: These will bake best if you bake them one sheet at a time, or at least rotate the baking sheets top to bottom, front to back halfway.

Tips:

  1.     These English scones can be rolled, cut, and frozen in advance in an airtight container, such as a freezer bag. Just freeze the scones on a baking sheet first before putting the scones in the airtight container into the freezer, so they keep their shape.
  2.     You can bake frozen scones exactly as you would chilled scones, directly from frozen. They may just take an additional minute to bake.

Serve with jam and clotted cream for a truly Noble Cream Tea.