Everybody needs a great, classic scone recipe!!! These are really quick plain scones you’ll make again and again.
These scones are made with a food processor which is not only faster, it eliminates the risk of common pitfalls. Soft and fluffy insides, golden tops, serve them with copious amounts of jam and cream for the ultimate classic afternoon experience.
Classic plain scone recipe
Perhaps the simplest of all baked goods in this entire world, the humble scone surely conjures up fond memories for every Aussie. Gatherings with family and friends, school bake sales, fundraising morning teas at work, a quaint little cafe in the Southern Highlands, or your grandmother’s kitchen.
(Your grandmother, not mine. Mine lived in Tokyo and hated cooking. I would have died of shock if she ever baked anything. Or refused to eat it out of suspicion ?).
Plain scones – made easy!
This is how I make plain scones. They are soft and fluffy on the inside, with the signature “flaky folds” when you break it open, and a golden rustic-but-not-too-rustic top:
Food processor. Self raising flour and cold butter – blitz 8 seconds. Add milk – blitz 8 seconds until ball forms.
Turn dough out, knead lightly 10 times (no more), lightly roll across the top to smooth surface. Cut scones out, bake 12 minutes.
No egg. No lard. No cream. No sugar. Why complicate something that’s already perfect?
Food processor, all the way
“Food processor?”, I hear traditionalists gasp in shock.
Yes. (She says firmly). Food processor. Not only is it faster with literally zero effort, it eliminates a lot of “risk factors” when it comes to making scones (eg overworking dough, melting butter with hot hands) and the dough comes together better. Softer and smoother, which means your scones will have a smoother top compared to handmade ones.
Here’s a comparison of the finger-rubbing method vs food processor. They are virtually identical in terms of rise and fluffy-factor, but the surface of the food processor scone is noticeably smoother.
Not that there’s anything wrong with a rustic top on scones. Scones are, after all, humble and rustic food, not intended to look like something from a Michelin star patisserie. 🙂
Essential Tips for making the BEST Scones!
It alarms me that I feel like I could write an entire essay on scones, so I’m restraining myself and summarising final tips for your new scone making life.
1. Resist the urge to twist – I feel like my hand always wants to twist when pressing the cutter into the dough. Resist the urge. Push straight down and pull straight back up. This will ensure your scones rise and they rise straight, not wonky.
2. Don’t smooth the sides once cut – For the same reason as above. So when handling the cut scones, minimise touching the cut sides.
3. Knead 10 times, no more – Kneading the dough makes the surface of scones smoother with a more even rise. However, many recipes will tell you never to knead the dough because it would make the scones tough.
After decades of scone making, I can definitively tell you – scones can take kneading. I have found that 10 light kneads does not affect the fluffiness, rise or softness of scones at all, but it does make the scones smoother on the surface.
So 10 kneads. That’s my rule!
4. How do you serve scones? With copious amounts of of jam and cream, with coffee and tea. I know not of any other way. ??♀️
Scones Q&A
- What’s the difference between a biscuit and a scone? That’s biscuits as they’re known in America that look like scones! A southern classic served savoury, fabulous with grits, sausage gravy and eggs. And a comparison of this humble Aussie scone recipe with this New York Times Biscuits recipe verifies that they are indeed made the same way – just used for different purposes. 🙂
- Should scones have egg? Some recipes do, but it’s much softer and fluffier without egg (because egg binds better but removes moisture from baked goods). I tried with and without side by side just to be 100% sure.
- Are scones British? Yes, we Aussies have the Brits to thank for brining scones to our shores. 🙂
- Why are my scones lopsided? To avoid wonky scones, see Tip #1 above: press the cutter straight up and down, do not twist. And avoid touching the sides when transferring to the baking tray.
- How long to scones keep? Scones are best served on the day they are made but will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Just warm them before serving to make them soft and fluffy.
The great Aussie scone. Old fashioned comfort food that will never go out of fashion.
Interestingly, someone told me the other day that apparently there’s a Great Debate in the UK about whether jam or cream should be dolloped on first. The thought of cream first then dolloping jam on the cream never even crossed my mind!
Someone, please explain!! ? – Nagi x
More Aussie favourites
- Lemonade Scones 3 ingredient shortcut scones!
- Pikelets
- Lamingtons
- Pavlova
- Sausage Rolls
- Party Pies
And more afternoon tea favourites
- Cinnamon Swirl Bread – easy, no yeast!
- Cheese, Herb and Garlic Loaf or Zucchini Cheese Loaf– quick bread, no yeast
- Apple Muffins or Apple Cake
- Raspberry Bars or Strawberry Bars
- Blueberry Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze or Blueberry Lemon Yoghurt Cake
- Savoury Cheese Muffins or Cornbread Muffins (personal fave?)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Scones
Ingredients
- 3 cups / 450g self raising flour (Note 1)
- 80 g / 3 oz cold salted butter , cut into 1 cm / 2/5" cubes (Note 2)
- 1 cup / 250 ml milk, fridge cold (Note 2)
- Extra flour , for dusting
- Extra milk , for brushing
Serving:
- Strawberry jam (or other of choice)
- 250 ml / 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan / convection).
- Place flour in food processor, then butter. Blitz on high for 8 seconds until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Pour milk all over the flour (don't pour in one place). Blitz for 6 to 8 seconds on high until the crumbs turn into ball(s).
- Transfer dough onto work surface, scrape out residual bits in the food processor.
- Knead lightly no more than 10 times just to bring the dough together into one smooth ball, then pat down into a 2 cm / 4/5" thick disc. Dust with extra flour if necessary (I don't need it).
- Optional: Lightly roll across the top with a rolling pin to smooth the top.
- Dip a 5 cm / 2" round cutter into Extra Flour.
- Plunge cutter straight down and back out into dough - do not twist. Repeat all over disc.
- Remove excess dough from around scones, then carefully transfer scones onto baking tray, taking care not to smear / press the cut sides. (Note 4)
- Gather together dough scraps and repeat. I get 10 scones in total.
- Brush tops lightly with milk. (Optional)
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the top is golden and it sounds hollow when tapped.
- Remove from oven, then transfer onto dish towel and wrap loosely (makes top soft).
- Once cooled to warm (10 - 15 minutes), serve warm.
- Tradition is to split the scone with hands (no knife!), slather with jam and dollop on cream.
Cream:
- Whip cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Makes 2 cups of whipped cream.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Of course I didn’t give him an entire scone piled high with jam and cream…… I mean, that face? I can totally resist.
Nagi, I am definitely going to get into trouble because of your website. I pulled up your post about Lemonade Scones, then saw something else that looked good, and then something else looked good, and I just kept going click-print-click-print-click-print. I ended up printing out *12* recipes while sitting here at work. Whoops! But I haven’t yet tried one of your recipes that I haven’t loved, so I’ll take the “risk.” My Hubby is a chocolate fiend, and our 34th anniversary is coming up. I can’t WAIT to surprise him with your chocolate cake . . . or maybe the fudgy chocolate brownies . . . or the chocolate chip cookies . . . Or maybe all three! 😀 Thank you, Nagi, for testing and putting together all these wonderful, delicious recipes and then sharing them with us!
Wahoo! I LOVE hearing this Svetlana, love to know how it all goes! N x
Great idea with the food processor, saved a lot of time and effort. Also had no butter so I had to use soft margarine instead. Put it in the freezer for 15 min first so it wouldn’t be to soft & melt. They came out great
Can I double the recipe into the food processor or is it too much?
Hi El, yes you can, if your food processor is big enough. N x
Thanks Nagi.
Truly delicious and so easy to make ! Thank you for a fab recipe. On lockdown here in the UK I am a key worker but using my free time to cook from scratch . Thank you for all the wonderful recipes . Stay Safe xx
You’re so welcome Majella, cooking is great therapy too 🙂 N x
Cream-Jam debate explained. I’m from Devon, the home of cream teas and scones and we always put cream then jam. However, our neighboring county of Cornwall always does jam first. That’s where the debate started 🙂 The Queen likes hers jam first!
Ohhhh controversial Jonny! N x
If I half this recipe, would it scale well? I want to make this recipe but I just don’t want to have too much indulgence or too much leftover! 🙄😁
Hi Nagi
Love your website, thank you for all the information you give. BTW try the scones with buttermilk instead of milk. They come out so fluffy…
Sounds fabulous Ana, I’ll have to give it a go! N x
Great Recipe! First time making scones and they received a big tick from my mum (The Queen of Scones).
Thanks for sharing!
Do you know if these scones work with gluten free flour?
Instructions are great. Made these twice now – perfect both times. My family loves them.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Sue!
I made these scones for afternoon tea with my grandparents, they were a hit! Impressively tall and flaky. I added a tablespoon of sugar because i have a sweet tooth.
I really love baking but I have always failed at making scones. Nonetheless I make them once a year accompany homemade jam and lemon butter as teacher gifts. I used your recipe this year and they were an amazing success. I even made a second batch just to see if it was a fluke. So light and fluffy, I added a few teaspoons of sugar and followed your instructions using the thermomix. The video was really helpful too.
That’s so great to hear Steph!!!
If I wanted to make cheese scones using your recipe, would I simply add in a quantity of cheese?😀
Hi Michele, I haven’t tested with cheese just yet, one to add to my list!
As a country boy from Tennessee…
Down home we’d call these ‘biscuits’… Have you ever tried these with sage sausage (like Jimmy Dean’s) cream gravy?This is commonly spoken of as ‘Biscuits and Gravy’… add an over easy egg on top and you have an American BOGAN brekky delight…
BTW…
I have a pair of Golden doodles…. anything labeled ‘doodle is undignified, so I prefer ‘Lap Wolf’ and I’m here to tell you they love Biscuits & Gravy…
Just popped them in the oven, hoping they turn out great.
Enjoy Matty!
I wouldn’t normally have made scones using a food processor. But I made these using my Thermomix. They were deliciously light and fluffy. They tasted delicious spread with just butter. And were great topped with cheese and melted under the grill for a couple of mins.
Oh that sounds divine Lynn, I’ll have to try it!
Delicious. Thank you Nagi.
You’re so welcome Michelle!
Just made these half an hour ago and ate two already. Super easy and perfect to satisfy craving for scones at home. No more expensive scones at tea salons!
Hi Nagi! I can’t find “whipping cream” from coles or woolies. Can i use thickened cream instead?
Yup that’s fine, that whips! N x
just perfect :)!!!
We just finished the last bite of scone.
Thank you for such a simple and easy to follow recipe
That’s wonderful Miki, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!