My Favourite Scone Recipes
“Sultana scones” was the second item I made when I started blogging, but the photos were so bad, I never got round to posting it. I clearly remember those early days because I used to take about one hundred photos. then I would discard about eighty of them and the remaining twenty would sometimes be so bad I had to make arrangements to bake all over again, sometimes, more than once. Did you having teething problems with photography like me? Anyway after several futile attempts, the scones were forgotten and somehow discovered today and here I am posting them
The recipe is so simple I even contemplated discarding it all together, but I am kind of attached to these scones because I went through so much trouble and dilemma, I almost said goodbye to blogging. I don’t know what kept me hanging on. Probably it was the desire to own a blog? or the desire to stick to my favourite pastime? We all have a story to tell about blogging, please share with me what bothered you the most.
These scones are best eaten warm, with some whipped cream, and a favourite jam or syrup. I have made them countless of times, so I know they are so good. I wish you a happy blogging and a pleasant week. Ours here, is rainy, but at least the lawns are green and the temperatures are super!
- Ingredients
- 250g (2 cups, 9oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 60g (¼ cup, 2oz, ½ stick) cold butter, cubed
- 80g (⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon) castor sugar
- 60g (⅓ cup) sultanas (golden raisins)
- 1 egg, beaten, lightly
- 120ml (½ cup) milk
- Milk or egg, for glazing
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a \ bowl (or flour. Add the cubed butter and rub into the flour briefly, and lightly, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar and sultanas (golden raisins) and stir to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Add egg and almost all the milk.
And mix with a flat-bladed knife, to a soft dough, adding more milk, only if necessary. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly and lightly for about 5 seconds.
Press or roll out dough to a circle, about 8-inches. Cut dough into circles using a floured, 2-inch (5cm) cutter. Pile the scraps together and press or roll out. Cut more pieces (do not re-knead).
Place the scones on the prepared baking tray (baking sheet). Glaze with milk for a soft crust or egg for a shiny crust. Bake 10-15 minutes or until well-risen and golden brown.
This was the second recipe on my blog (LOL)
The scones tasted extremely nice
I brushed them with egg, before baking so they were nice and golden and delicious, of course
Sultana Scones
Preparation time: 15 minutes; Baking Time: 12-15 minutes; makes: 8-10
- 250g (2 cups, 9oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 60g (¼ cup, 2oz, ½ stick) cold butter, cubed
- 80g (⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon) castor sugar
- 60g (⅓ cup) sultanas (golden raisins)
- 1 egg, beaten, lightly
- 120ml (½ cup) milk
- Milk or egg, for glazing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 430℉ (220℃). Line a baking sheet with parchment (greaseproof) paper. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the cubed butter and rub into the flour briefly, and lightly using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and sultanas (golden raisins) and stir to combine.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Add egg and almost all the milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife, to a soft dough, adding more milk, only if necessary.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead very briefly and lightly, folding it back over itself, and pressing down (about 5 seconds).
- Press or roll out dough to a circle about 8-inches. Cut dough into circles using a floured, 2-inch (5cm) cutter. Pile the scraps together and press or roll out. Cut more pieces (do not re-knead).
- Place the scones on the prepared baking tray (baking sheet). Glaze with milk for a soft crust or egg for a shiny crust. Bake 10-15 minutes or until well-risen and golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve with butter or any filling of your choice.
- Variations: you can vary the dried fruits to your taste (currants, raisins, chopped dates, prunes, apricots or mixed fruit)
- For cup measures: spoon the flour into the cup, heaping it up over the top, then slide a knife across the top to level off the extra. Be careful not to shake or tap the cup to settle down the flour or you will have more than you need. I use a 240ml American cup.
Points to note:
- Please note that oven temperatures are given as a guideline only. You may need to add or reduce the suggested temperature depending on your oven. I baked the scones at 430°F (220°C) for 13 minutes.
- The secret to light fluffy scones is ‘very light handling of the dough.’ Over handling will result in tough scones.
- I prefer to brush the scones with egg because it gives a brown and glossy finish.
- You can cut the scones into squares or any other shape you desire.
- Scones are best eaten while they are still warm and fresh, but can be frozen up to three months.
- For soft scones, wrap in a clean tea towel while still hot. For a crisp top, place on a wire wrack to cool.
- Last Updated: February 28, 2018
myfavouritepastime.com
My Favourite Pastime 
I wish I could them for tea this afternoon… They look so yummy! My first photos are awful, rather yellowish. They got a bit better over time but I usually bake at night so the lighting is not ideal. My biggest frustration is that even the photos I believe are good enough never made to Foodgawk and only two were accepted by Tastespotting
Hi Erika,
Do people get a lot of traffic from Foodgawk? what about Tastespotting? I’ve heard numerous stories of pictures that didn’t make it, so I’m not planning to try. I have so many photos in Pinterest but I only get one or two visits at most 6 a day from there. Please educate me!
Liz
Hey, Liz! I’m no expert. From what I hear people like to drool over those sites but I really don’t know if that results in an increase of traffic on their blogs. I’m the one to be educated for I have no idea if I ever got any visitors from Pinterest 😉
You should check out your statistics on a daily basis by clicking site statistics on dashboard and then clicking show me at the top of the page and then scrolling down to referrers to see where your traffic come s from. I don’t get much from Pinterest. Maybe one referral a day and the highest I’ve ever gotten in a day was 15. Good luck
Liz
Thanks for the tip Liz! I really appreciate it 🙂
No problem. I hope everything is okay. I wish you a happy week!
Liz
I love the look of these scones Liz. Wish I could have one right now as I sit in my bed reading this.
Thank you for complimenting, I wish you a pleasant week!
Liz
I recently had scones at a friend’s house for tea. She served them with what she called an easy version of clotted cream- I believe she whipped some whipping cream, a dab of cream cheese, and a bit of confectioner’s sugar together. It had just a hint of sweetness and complimented the scones very well. Sounds like clotted cream is hard to find, but maybe this could be an alternative?
Scones and clotted cream go together like two peas in a pod. I just can’t find any where I live so I use whipped cream instead. I love the easy version of clotted cream you describe here. I shall try it the next time i make scones. Thanks so much for sharing!
liz
I love your tasty looking scones. What are sultanas?
Hi Sophie
Sultanas are also called golden raisins in North America. They are dried white grapes. I don’t know what you call them in Belgium? Nice to see you after a while. Have a lovely evening!
Liz
What bothers me about blogging ? Not being able to eat your delicious looking Sultana Scones I reckon Liz ❤
Hey Ralph, how many do you want? Just pick and eat and give me feedback. Enjoy the scones!
Liz
I will definitely need to try these out! I have some dried blueberries I might put in them. Maybe next week…we have a preschool graduation tomorrow night for Ewan and then a long weekend with lots of plans. Your photography is looking great. I cringe when I look back at some of my earlier posts!
Our past weekend was a long one. I really enjoyed sleeping in. Enjoy the preschool graduation. During my days we only graduated from College, by the time Ewan graduates from college he will be an expert on graduation gatherings. I wish him all the best. Hope he enjoys his next level in school. Have a lovely day
Liz
Hi Liz,
Love your blog …. the content/recipes are amazing and visually a treat. I am just beginning to feel at ease with the exercise of blogging, so I appreciate efforts/thoughtfulness you put into yours.
Your scone recipe is very similar to mine – although I prefer buttermilk to regular milk.
Best,
mm
Thank you for loving my blog. I’m glad you have a similar recipe that uses buttermilk. Buttermilk, in my opinion gives the fluffiest of scones. I did this recipe before I discovered buttermilk…now i happily use it too! Enjoy the rest of the week!
Liz
Oh! Email me one, please? 😉
One virtual scone on the way…I hope you enjoy!
Liz
🙂
Your blog and these photos are great Liz. 🙂 I absolutely love scones. Yum!
Thanks, I love scones too!
Liz
They look amazing! I like your pictures 😉
Thank you!
Liz
Could there be anything more comforting than a bunch of fresh baked scones? I seriously doubt it. Whenever I have the chance to go back to the UK, one of the first things I do is looking for the nearest tea room and have as many as I can. I just love them.
Owing to the birth of my blog I knew I had to try and make them myself. An absolute success. You’re right they’re indecently easy to make and even more pleasant to eat. I like mine with clotted cream and strawberry jam, but the former is not easy to find where I live. But then, last weekend I came across a shop that unexpectedly happened to sell it, so I manage to get hold of a few jars in case it became unavailable again for a long time (it’s not in great demand in this area and eventually it is usually just taken off the market).
As I still have some sultanas left from my last hot cross buns, I can’t let another day go by without baking a batch (or two) of these delicacies!
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe, Liz, and sorry about my waffling on about my love for this most beloved treat 😉
Un beso
Ha ha thanks for sharing your experience with clotted cream. We don’t have any here either. Dairy products is not one of our greatest fort here. I would have hoarded a few jars myself. Don’t we all hoard things we can’t find? Have a lovely day, Rosa. I enjoyed reading your message.
Liz
These look yummy indeed. No need to worry about “bad” photos since even professionals still have “bad” photos. We think that these kinds of photos would make anyone improve in their photo-taking skills so they aren’t really “bad”. Evidently, your photos are beautiful and it’s because you continued to do what you wanted to do. 🙂
Hi there Lyn and Rey
I still have good and bad photo days. I’ve never really become an expert but I now focus more on showing what I’ve cooked not becoming a professional photographer. I hope you’re enjoying the food ventures. Have a lovely week!
Liz
Well, I like these photos, Liz. They came out nice and bright! I almost gave up on blogging early on because I felt my dark photos didn’t do the food justice and couldn’t compare to other bloggers’ photos. It was frustrating to take photos in winter when there was no natural lighting at night! But I resolved to just show the food as is, made right in my kitchen. These scones look fabulous and would be great with a nice mug of tea! Thank you for sharing them.
Hi Ngan
Don’t worry even me I still have my bad photo days when nothing works for me. But I decided hey I’m a food blogger not a food stylist. So now i just show people what the food should look like and I’m happier that way. No more aspiring to become a professional photographer! Have a lovely week!
Liz
Hard to imagine you ever had trouble with photos. Those pictures, and scones, look great.
Thank you, Hilda. I wish you a wonderful week!
Liz
Well, these photos look great. How inspiring.
Thank you. Have a great week!
Liz
We’re not a professional photographer, but bloggers who love cooking. So our pictures do not have to be perfect. But I had the same problems with photography when I started blogging. I got a quick lesson from my colleague, a professional photographer and even bought a more luxurious camera. ^^ He advised me to see many pictures of foods taken by professionals so that I could learn how to make a good composition and how to use light. It was very helpful. ^^ Anyway I like your pictures.
Hi Jess,
I must say I still struggle with photography. Some days, things turn out very well, other times, just seem like the good old frustrating days. Overall, it seems much better though! Thanks for sharing your experience! I wish you a wonderful week!
Liz
“We all have a story to tell about blogging, please share with me what bothered you the most.”
I had tried several different blog formats and didn’t stick with any of them. Once I got onto WordPress, things went more smoothly. I’m now slightly into my third year, and have no complaints. I’m too lazy to do as many pictures as many do – yours are just delightful – so it is a good thing to share our happy eating! ;-> Soon I hope to be able to share travel pictures again.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
Hi Judie,
Nice to see you after what seems like an eternity. You know when i first started I changed my theme continuously for about four months. I almost became a “theme blogger”. I finally settled for what I have right now. I know there are so many things I would like to change or add but I’ve been rather lazy so I keep on hoping I’ll find time to customize it one of these fine days. I wish you a wonderful week. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Liz
Now I know I am losing it – you have an egg in the recipe! Anyway, mine don’t look half as nice as yours when they have cooked! Grin
Ha ha the egg always makes the scones taste so much better. I made plain ones without eggs I think but they were not as nice. Enjoy the day. We have sun and rain alternating. best wishes!
liz
Well I for one am glad you made them again and took pictures. They look fantastic. I’ve put this in my Pins. When my life is not so hectic then I can start baking again. 🙂
I hope you find time to start baking again. Thanks for the kind words and wish you a wonderful week!
Liz
I LOVE scones! Obviously you have cut your teeth very well. Your photography makes me want to just reach into the computer and grab one of these scones and eat it! My recipe is almost the same except mine adds an egg. I will try this recipe. I’m still catching up and time just seems to fly by since I returned home and I’ve still to put some of my clothes away. I think I am becoming slower in my old age! LOL. Thanks for the lovely photos and recipe. I almost tried sniffing them!!!
Hi Sandy,
Welcome back to Canada. I see you have started blogging at the Ladysmith Resources Centre. If your recipe has egg then I bet we have the same one. These scones are dear to me because they constituted my first week of blogging. I have been meaning to post them but yesterday I said “enough is enough” and did it. now I can move on with other things. I hope you’ll manage to put aways your clothes and settle back to normal. I wish you a pleasant week!
Liz
If not using self-rising flour (I never keep this around), what proportion of leavening would be required. Does self-rising flour have salt already in it?
Virtual hugs,
Judie
If not using Self raising flour you can use 1 teaspoon baking powder for every 125g flour (1 cup flour) intact I never use self raising. Let me add the note to the post as well. I don’t think self raising has salt. Just baking powder. Thanks and enjoy your day!
Liz
Well that seems simple enough. Thanks.
I stopped using self-raising. It’s very expensive for nothing, but as I mentioned this was the second recipe in my blog. Have a lovely day!
Liz