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Authentic English Scone Recipe: the Tested Ratio, the Rise Killers, and the Cream-or-Jam Question

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 c (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp (27 g) sugar
  • 4 tsp (8 g) baking powder, less than 6 months old
  • ½ tsp (2 g) salt
  • 3 tbsp (42 g) unsalted butter, cold
  • ⅔ c (158 ml) milk, plus more if needed
  • 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 Tbsp milk, to glaze
  • Strawberry jam, to serve
  • Clotted cream, at room temperature, to serve

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease and flour a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
  • In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  • Add the cold butter. Rub the mixture together with your fingers to break up the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  • Add the milk slowly, mixing as you pour, using enough to bring the dough together with no dry lumps remaining. The dough should be quite sticky; if the listed milk is not enough, keep adding a little at a time until it is.
  • Spoon the dough onto a well-floured surface. Dust the top generously and knead 2 to 3 times, only to coat it in flour and smooth the surface. Press the dough into a round roughly 1 inch thick.
  • Using a well-floured 2 inch cutter, cut the dough into circles, pressing straight down and lifting straight up without twisting. Gather and press the scraps once to cut the last scones.
  • Place the rounds on the prepared sheet and brush the tops gently with the egg yolk and milk mixture.
  • Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden and firm, adding up to 5 minutes if the tops are still pale.
  • Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before splitting. For softer scones, cover them with a clean tea towel as they cool.
  • Split each scone and dress with clotted cream and strawberry jam.