I know there are already lots on scones on the message board, and I do apologise if this is a boring topic but how do those legendary ladies (and gents) whip up a tray of scones at a moments notice with the scones always coming out wonderfully, do it? Is it the recipe, the oven, tried and true handy hints, lots of practice? Just made some Edmonds cheese scones and I dont think they are cooked properly inside, but did them for at least 18 mins. Oven not hot enough? And also they said only to lightly flour oven tray, so I didn't grease it. The scones were pale on the bottom and stuck! Oops. I have made the cream and lemonade scones and they were great, but these latest ones, not so much. Thanks.

Edited by clementine4 at 9:04 pm, Tue 9 May

clementine4 - 2017-05-09 20:56:00

Im with you, i cant make scones. I've tried a few times and the best ones I made (which were still far from perfect) were when I followed very detailed instructions on how little to mix the dough. It was basically running a knife thru the ingredients rather than any sort of mixing or kneading.

dibble35 - 2017-05-10 03:17:00

My way, hot oven heat tray up to, when oven hot mix scones just enough to combine, onto a floured board shape quickly cut sprinkle flour on hot tray put scones on touching each other.Cook 10-12 mins till risen and golden, spread out clean tea towel put scones on half cover. Always nice moist scones.

fifie - 2017-05-10 08:17:00

Well I will tell you the secret to making excellent scones..First heat your oven up to 225 C and put in your baking tray that you are going to cook them on..... then measure out your flour and baking powder a pinch of salt and some grated butter doesnt matter if its hard grateing in makes in easier and work the buttter together with your fingertips till it resembles course bread crumbs.if making cheese scones I add a 1.2 tsp of dry mustard powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper not too much.....then once the flour look like course bread crumbs. add grated cheeses and use 1/2 quantity of milk and 1/2 quanitity of water (This IMHO makes a lighter fluffier scone) and mix with a knife not your hands as they will be wearm and you need to work quickly........once its mixed and starts to form a ball.....tip out onto a floured surface and pat out to make a rectangle and then I use a fish slice to cut into piec3s.then transfer to your hot baking tray and cook for 12-15 mins till golden brown on top You can pop some extra grated cheese on top before cooking.The secret tis put on a hot baking tray...the bottoms start to brown straight away.also the milk/water is the best and Ive been making theses for 50 odd years !!!

petal1955 - 2017-05-10 08:18:00

Part of the secret to getting them to rise is not mucking about with them for too long - the quicker you make them the better. I prefer to cut my scones rather than use a cutter which means you get them into the oven quicker. My mum was a great scone maker especially if she had any milk that had gone sour - mine aren't as good but they're getting better - practice makes perfect.

sarahb5 - 2017-05-10 12:21:00

petal1955 wrote:

Well I will tell you the secret to making excellent scones..First heat your oven up to 225 C and put in your baking tray that you are going to cook them on..... then measure out your flour and baking powder a pinch of salt and some grated butter doesnt matter if its hard grateing in makes in easier and work the buttter together with your fingertips till it resembles course bread crumbs.if making cheese scones I add a 1.2 tsp of dry mustard powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper not too much.....then once the flour look like course bread crumbs. add grated cheeses and use 1/2 quantity of milk and 1/2 quanitity of water (This IMHO makes a lighter fluffier scone) and mix with a knife not your hands as they will be wearm and you need to work quickly........once its mixed and starts to form a ball.....tip out onto a floured surface and pat out to make a rectangle and then I use a fish slice to cut into piec3s.then transfer to your hot baking tray and cook for 12-15 mins till golden brown on top You can pop some extra grated cheese on top before cooking.The secret tis put on a hot baking tray...the bottoms start to brown straight away.also the milk/water is the best and Ive been making theses for 50 odd years !!!

I pride myself on my cooking, I love it, and rarely I have a disaster. But scones, meet Mrs Useless. But I will follow your advice Petal to the letter. Thank you for sharing.

westward1 - 2017-05-10 15:48:00

Here is a recipe I found on a NZ herald page a few weeks ago. Made 4 times been a success every time. Called Cheese Puffs but were exactly like a scone. I didn't put in bacon or onion.

1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups grated cheese
1 cups self raising flour - i used normal flour with 1 heaped teaspoon BP

Oven 200
Combine egg and milk -add remaining ingredients

Baking paper - drop large spoonful
Bake 20 minutes

poppit15 - 2017-05-10 17:42:00

The member deleted this message.

deb8888 - 2017-05-10 18:22:00

Fastest way making scones when someone pulls up in the drive is in the food processor. Wack that oven on high then quickly gather your ingredients. (Use a basic scone mix). Flour with baking powder, salt butter straight from the fridge into processor, pulse until breadcrumbs. Tip into bowl, add enough full cream milk or can soda (minus baking powder) and cut with back of butter knife until just mixed through- should be a little sticky to touch. Tip onto floured bench top. Pat out thick round shape. Slice into pieces. Onto baking paper then straight into oven that should have preheated. Within 15 mins scones are ready.

While baking prepare the tea pot, tea leaves, milk, cream conserves. Lay the cloth bring out your fancy tea cups.

For sweet savoury variations, add after butter pulsed, in mixing bowl.
Tin baked beans and tasty cheese in the mix makes for a gorgeous orange savoury scones. Also makes for a fast pizza base or scrolls if friends drop in lunchtime.

Scone making is less than 10 mins from turning on oven to going into oven then another 15 mins to cook. Enough time for your guests to settle and marvel at your ability to whip something up in minutes. I've never had a failure to making scones this way.

rexavier - 2017-05-10 19:27:00

poppit15 wrote:

Here is a recipe I found on a NZ herald page a few weeks ago. Made 4 times been a success every time. Called Cheese Puffs but were exactly like a scone. I didn't put in bacon or onion.

1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups grated cheese
1 cups self raising flour - i used normal flour with 1 heaped teaspoon BP

Oven 200
Combine egg and milk -add remaining ingredients

Baking paper - drop large spoonful
Bake 20 minutes

The ones I made recently were just like these. I think an egg in the milk is the answer and dont need or get your mixture too dry. The mixture should be wet and sticky and just drop spoonfuls onto your tray. Dont overcook.

grouch - 2017-05-11 09:09:00

like rexavier, I put all the dry ingredients into the food processor, along with the butter and pulse until like breadcrumbs (if making date ones I add those too at this stage). I then slowly add the milk until the mix comes together. Tip onto a floured surface give it a very quick knead, just to bring it all together in a ball. I then use the rolling pin to roll it out and cut using a glass or cutters.
Oven preheated to 200-225 C and put the tray as close to the top of the oven as possible (without risen scones touching element). Cook 7-10 mins.
3cups plain flour
3 heaped tsps. baking powder
butter (I just cut a chunk off, probably about 100g)
dates if using about a handful
milk to mix
and a pinch of salt.

cgvl - 2017-05-11 11:07:00

Great tips, especially not to roll out.

linette1 - 2017-05-11 11:10:00

linette1 wrote:

Great tips, especially not to roll out.

over mixing and handling seems to be the biggest issue for 'rock' scones. Treat them like a muffin mix- just mixed through.

How do folk pronounce scones? short stop on the sco or long sco sound as in lone?

rexavier - 2017-05-11 14:54:00

Short stop on the sco.......the only way :-)))

rainrain1 - 2017-05-11 15:16:00

I pronounce it the first way, is the long Scone (rhymes with loan) english or American??

dibble35 - 2017-05-11 17:38:00

I have no issue making scones and don't even use a recipe or measure (sorry guys). But interestingly when I did a baking course at polytech, the chef recommended resting the scones on the cold tray for 10 minutes before baking, allowing the flour to rest which allows the gluten/gliadin to relax. Something one does when making bread too. I had always been one to rush them into the oven. Then I thought about how come, when you make muffins the 2nd batch into the oven always rises better than the 1st batch? Well that's what happens to me anyway. So now I rest my scones away from the heat on the table and have to say it either makes no difference or it does make them raise higher.

I also beat an egg into the milk and add a tsp of BP per cup of self raising flour, bar one. A scone mix should lean towards damp rather than dry. It is better to need to add a little flour than add more milk. I would never use a rolling pin. Pat gently and don't be inclined to pat till the dough till it's too low.

And cheese scones don't need any butter. In fact if you don't want any butter in the plain mix, it's just not nessesary. But I'm a purest and unless they are cheese, they get butter in the mix.

Edited by jelly-plane at 8:05 pm, Thu 11 May

jelly-plane - 2017-05-11 19:59:00

i have never made scones the traditional way since discovering how to make them perfectly with flour/cream/lemonade/sultanas.-
These are much lighter and faster to make than the traditional way

wine-o-clock - 2017-05-11 20:24:00

dibble35 wrote:

I pronounce it the first way, is the long Scone (rhymes with loan) english or American??

How do you say scone?
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/03/how-do-you-say-sc
one/

rexavier - 2017-05-11 22:17:00

rexavier wrote:

How do you say scone?
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/03/how-do-you-say-sc
one/

Interesting, Scone (con) cause we are (mainly) british descendants.

dibble35 - 2017-05-12 09:49:00

Petal1955 - beaut cheese scones made following your method - didn't worry about mixing after grating butter straight out of the fridge, just quick flick thro' with knife! And made sure I didn't grab the tray once it was heated! My scones just keep getting better! Friend of mine uses beaten egg plus half cup of oil instead of butter - that works well and with price of butter a good tip.

sla11 - 2017-05-12 15:17:00

dibble35 wrote:

Interesting, Scone (con) cause we are (mainly) british descendants.

But even then that depends which part of Britain you're from

sarahb5 - 2017-05-12 15:55:00

And here's another scone related question - jam first or cream first?

sarahb5 - 2017-05-12 15:58:00

Definitely jam goes on first then a splodge of cream.

samsnan - 2017-05-12 16:07:00

samsnan wrote:

Definitely jam goes on first then a splodge of cream.

✔

jelly-plane - 2017-05-12 16:11:00

Oh, and scone - on.

jelly-plane - 2017-05-12 16:15:00

sla11 wrote:

Petal1955 - beaut cheese scones made following your method - didn't worry about mixing after grating butter straight out of the fridge, just quick flick thro' with knife! And made sure I didn't grab the tray once it was heated! My scones just keep getting better! Friend of mine uses beaten egg plus half cup of oil instead of butter - that works well and with price of butter a good tip.

Pleased you had good results !!!

petal1955 - 2017-05-12 17:27:00

I had found it bizarre savoury scones with jam and cream when i first arrived. Jam and cream was strictly for sweet scones. Savoury had lashings of real butter. Now I've accustomed to the weirdness and it works.

My special treat is homemade persimmon jam and cream on a fresh baked scone come to room temperature. The jam is a heavenly perfume of delicate taste as it mingles with the cream and fluffy scone.

rexavier - 2017-05-12 18:54:00

rexavier wrote:

I had found it bizarre savoury scones with jam and cream when i first arrived. Jam and cream was strictly for sweet scones. Savoury had lashings of real butter. Now I've accustomed to the weirdness and it works.

My special treat is homemade persimmon jam and cream on a fresh baked scone come to room temperature. The jam is a heavenly perfume of delicate taste as it mingles with the cream and fluffy scone.

I've never had jam and cream on a savoury scone

sarahb5 - 2017-05-12 19:07:00

I know of folk who have jam and cream on cheese scones. Not my cup of tea I'm a bit of a purest.

jelly-plane - 2017-05-14 15:47:00

deanna14 wrote:

I know of folk who have jam and cream on cheese scones. Not my cup of tea I'm a bit of a purest.

That's just weird IMHO - why would anyone do that except by mistake?

sarahb5 - 2017-05-14 16:02:00

bump

bev00 - 2018-05-13 23:19:00

deanna14 wrote:

I know of folk who have jam and cream on cheese scones. Not my cup of tea I'm a bit of a purest.

I love apricot jam on cheese scones.

hidecote01 - 2018-05-14 06:59:00

sarahb5 wrote:

I've never had jam and cream on a savoury scone

Neither have I but cream cheese topped with a little chutney or relish on a savoury scone (con from my part of the UK) is very nice.

nauru - 2018-05-14 18:50:00

hidecote01 wrote:

I love apricot jam on cheese scones.

I like tasty cheese on date scones. Have to be homemade scones though, others do not have enough dates.

kay141 - 2018-05-14 19:10:00

fifie wrote:

My way, hot oven heat tray up to, when oven hot mix scones just enough to combine, onto a floured board shape quickly cut sprinkle flour on hot tray put scones on touching each other.Cook 10-12 mins till risen and golden, spread out clean tea towel put scones on half cover. Always nice moist scones.

Thats how my mum made them, I’d forgotten until I read your post.
I can see them now coming out of the oven, with the excess flour on the tray slightly brown around them and the gorgeous smell.

vashti - 2018-05-14 22:59:00

There's some good tips here, that aren't covered above
https://www.recipetineats.com/plain-scones/

wheelz - 2018-05-15 23:25:00

For those who like date scones, you may like to try this:

Cut up dates (not too fine), simmer in a little water (about 1/2 way up your quantity of dates), add the finely grated zest of 1/2 small lemon, and the juice of one small lemon, a little honey if liked, then simmer for about 4-5 minutes until it makes a paste.

When ready to make your scones, pat out into rectangle, spread half with the date mix, and fold other half over the top. If you have a light hand, you can pat it out again into the rectangle, and fold again, before cutting into squares.

The combination of dates with the lemon makes for a very sumptuous date scone. I had these at a cafe years ago, and worked out what they'd done to create that gorgeous filling....

autumnwinds - 2018-05-16 00:33:00

autumnwinds wrote:

For those who like date scones, you may like to try this:

Cut up dates (not too fine), simmer in a little water (about 1/2 way up your quantity of dates), add the finely grated zest of 1/2 small lemon, and the juice of one small lemon, a little honey if liked, then simmer for about 4-5 minutes until it makes a paste.

When ready to make your scones, pat out into rectangle, spread half with the date mix, and fold other half over the top. If you have a light hand, you can pat it out again into the rectangle, and fold again, before cutting into squares.

The combination of dates with the lemon makes for a very sumptuous date scone. I had these at a cafe years ago, and worked out what they'd done to create that gorgeous filling....

That recipe sounds really nice, I will give it a go. We love date scones, must have plenty of dates in them though and sometimes I add some chopped walnuts too.

Edited by nauru at 9:22 pm, Wed 16 May

nauru - 2018-05-16 21:22:00

bump

bev00 - 2019-05-15 22:26:00

My date scones are delicious. I soak the dates with hot water a little brown sugar and use the liquid with the dates in the scone mixture during winter i add spice. Very nice. A little spice brown sugar and water mixed together and paint on top......

Like other messages, light handling of mixture.

lazkaz - 2019-05-18 21:16:00

Thanks for bumping Bev. I make great scones and not showing off and I like a tip given on here about resting the uncooked scones for 10 min before cooking. I will give it a go next time I make them to see the difference

malcovy - 2019-05-19 13:43:00

poppit15 wrote:

Here is a recipe I found on a NZ herald page a few weeks ago. Made 4 times been a success every time. Called Cheese Puffs but were exactly like a scone. I didn't put in bacon or onion.

1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups grated cheese
1 cups self raising flour - i used normal flour with 1 heaped teaspoon BP

Oven 200
Combine egg and milk -add remaining ingredients

Baking paper - drop large spoonful
Bake 20 minutes

I made these yesterday for lunch. I didn't have bacon, but I did add half an onion, finely chopped, and half a tsp of chili powder, they were totally yummy. No butter needed for spreading.

westward1 - 2019-05-24 10:49:00

Divine Date Scones
The dates are boiled then sandwiched between the scone dough. 2 cups pitted dates, little orange zest, orange juice, 3 cups flour 1 Tbsp baking powder Pinch salt 3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar 100g butter, chopped 1 to 1 1/4 cups milk 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon brown sugar, extra.
Preheat the oven to 200degC. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the dates, orange zest, juice, in a small saucepan with just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Cool.
Place the dry ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the butter in batches, processing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Place in a bowl and add enough milk to form a soft but not too sticky dough. On a lightly floured bench, pat the dough into a rectangle. cut in half. Spread the date mixture on one half. Flip the other half over the top egg-wash side down to make a sandwich. Cut into about nine pieces. Place on the prepared oven tray. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

fifie - 2019-05-26 10:45:00

Annabelle White has a great recipe for buttermilk scones. Google recipe. Her secret is to use cold butter, to have quite a wet mixture and not to mix too much. Have made them a few times and they are delicious.

angie117 - 2019-05-26 18:46:00