Classic Scones

By Mark Bittman

Updated Sept. 10, 2025

Classic Scones
Evan Sung for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
9 to 11 minutes
Rating
5(3,149)
Comments
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Traditional English scones are barely sweet — they are usually eaten with sweet jam and clotted cream — and they are lighter, flakier and tastier than their American counterparts. You can make the dough in the food processor (do not overprocess), but if you’re willing to incorporate the butter by hand it is of course fine to do it in a bowl. You’re looking for a slightly sticky but not messy dough; start with a half cup of cream and increase it as needed. Serve the baked scones warm, with the best jam you can lay your hands on, and a dollop of crème fraîche, mascarpone or, if you can find it, clotted cream.

Featured in: A Very Proper Scone

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 scones
  • 2cups cake flour, more as needed
  • ½teaspoon salt
  • 2teaspoons baking powder
  • 3tablespoons sugar
  • 5tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 1egg
  • ½ to ¾cup heavy cream, more for brushing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (9 servings)

246 calories; 13 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 151 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the flour, salt, baking powder and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

  2. Step 2

    Add the egg and just enough cream to form a slightly sticky dough. If it’s too sticky, add a little flour, but very little; it should still stick a little to your hands.

  3. Step 3

    Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice, then press it into a ¾-inch-thick circle and cut into 2-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or glass. Put the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet. Gently reshape the leftover dough and cut again. Brush the top of each scone with a bit of cream and sprinkle with a little of the remaining sugar.

  4. Step 4

    Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the scones are a beautiful golden brown. Serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,149 user ratings
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Comments

Huma

These are the best simple scones I've ever made.
In a pinch, if you don't have cake flour, you can substitute with a mixture of corn starch and regular flour:
Combine 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup cornstarch.

laura

Can I make these the night before, put them in the fridge, and then bake them in the morning?

Teddy29

A monkey could cook these scones. I'm not a fan of the gargantuan, crumbly-dry US version, but this recipe made light, buttery scones. I halved the recipe with no problems & cooked at 425 for 10 minutes, convection setting - on parchment paper as others suggested. Perfect results.

Janet

I have made this recipe several times. The first few times I just used an ice cream scooper to scoop the dough onto the parchment paper. Then I used this method of kneading and using a biscuit cutter. I've discovered that using the knead/cutter method overworks the dough and creates a tough scone. I use grated frozen butter and an ice cream scooper to quickly get the scones in the oven, creating a much more tender crumbly scone.

meredith

I converted AP flour to “cake flour” by removing 2tbs per cup and replacing those with 2tbs per cup corn starch (per internet)— I refuse to buy extra flours! I used a frozen stick of butter and grated it- very easy to get the crumbly dough this way. I grated the zest of one orange into the dough as well, and they were perfect! I do think they need a tiny bit of flavoring if you aren’t doing the whole English setup with cream and jam, but some zest or a touch of candied ginger or a swirl of jam will do the trick. Glad to hear cream isn’t necessary -I had some on hand but typically I don’t. Will make again.

Shawn Meghan

Veganized with oatmilk, 3TBS garbanzo bean liquid in place of egg (liquid poured off beans in can), and Mikonos plant butter. Added dried cherries, chopped crystallized ginger, and orange zest. Delicious, loved by all—vegan and non-vegan. Non-vegans couldn’t tell they were vegan.

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