While many people will claim to have the best scone recipe, scones are fairly simple. For dry ingredients, you’ll need basics such as flour, sugar, butter, baking powder (and/or baking soda) and salt. For liquids, an egg combines with a dairy product: milk, sour cream or yogurt. You can also add dried fruit or chocolate chips — whatever you like. Because they call for such everyday ingredients, they’re easy to make on a whim, such as when teatime is approaching and you want an extra treat.
A Perfect Scone Recipe
Here’s a beginner recipe to try, made of items you probably have on hand in your kitchen:
Stir 2 cups flour and a 1/4 cup sugar with 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Then, using a pastry cutter, two forks or your clean fingers, add a full stick (1/2 cup) of butter that you’ve chopped into pieces. Combine until the butter is in small bits throughout and the mixture feels sandy overall. Add a beaten egg and 1/2 cup yogurt, mixing until a rough dough starts to form.
Plop the dough onto a floured work surface, adding more flour if it’s too wet and more yogurt if it’s too dry. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin until it’s about 1-inch thick. Then, cut out rounds. Place rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with extra yogurt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the scones are slightly golden. Enjoy with butter, jam or clotted cream.
