What not to do when you're making scones (2024)

FAQs

What not to do when making scones? ›

Overworking the dough will lead to scones that are tough and chewy, rather than light and flaky. The less you knead the mix, the less the gluten will tighten up – which means your scones will stay loose and crumbly, rather than tight and springy.

If the dough is too dry, the scones won't rise and will be crumbly. On the other hand, if the scones are too wet, they won't rise either, and will be too tough and chewy once baked. Don't hesitate to tweak the amounts and proportions to get the right texture.

Overworking the dough: when you overwork your dough, your scones can come out tough and chewy, rather than that desired light, crumbly texture. The trick is to use light pressure and only the work the dough until it just comes together.

Make sure your butter and liquid ingredients are cold, too. If the butter is soft when your scones enter the oven, it will leak out, taking your scone's moisture with it. And don't forget to use high-quality flour, which will give you consistent results, great flavor, and the structure needed for a good rise.

Perhaps there wasn't enough liquid, or it could be that the dough was overworked and / or the scones were overbaked. If you're measuring the liquid in a jug, make sure you check the amount at eye level.

(10) – Because the bottom of the cut scone dough is smoother than the top, turning the cut scone upside down before baking will encourage the scones to rise evenly.

Place pan of shaped scones into the freezer for up to 30 minutes before baking. This short rest relaxes the gluten, making scones more tender; and cold chills the fat, increasing flakiness. Make scone dough up to three days ahead.

We recommend using all-purpose flour. There is some debate as to what flour one should use to go around achieving the perfect scone. This is because within different flours comes different levels of protein. Typically, if there is a higher protein level within a flour, the more dense the scone would come out.

My scones have a dense, heavy texture and poor volume

You may have used too little raising agent or over handled the dough before it was baked. The oven may have been too cool.

Wet ingredients don't always result in a moist scone. In fact, adding too much liquid to any basic scone recipe can create a dense texture that isn't very appetizing. To avoid overdoing it, only add half of the amount of called-for buttermilk to the dry ingredients.

How thick should a scone be before baking? ›

Don't overwork the dough. Tip it out of the bowl and very lightly pat out on a floured surface with the heel of your hand. About 3cm thick is good.

For super fluffy scones, make sure to not over-mix and resist the urge to knead the dough too much. “Ditch the spoon and use a flat-bladed knife when mixing the ingredients together,” Alison adds. “When patting the dough into a disc, do it quickly and lightly and avoid overworking the dough.”

The texture of scone dough should be quite wet and sticky as this loose texture really helps to produce the lightest, fluffiest texture once baked. The drier your dough is, the less ability the dough has to rise in the oven and the denser your scones will be.

Scones and biscuits both need a hot, quick bake. The high, quick heat is needed to turn that butter into nice steamy air pockets without leaving pools of butter on the cookie sheet.

One key error that causes scones to be dry and tough is being too heavy-handed with the dough. She says: “Making scones requires a VERY light touch. Only use the tips of your fingers to rub in the butter into the flour, lightly lifting and dropping the mixture.”

Don't overwork the dough!

When the wet and dry ingredients have been mixed, try to not overwork the dough, it makes the scones very tough and quite dry. Even if the dough looks crumbly, that's a good thing! It allows for those air pockets to help increase the fluffiness.

Placing a dough in a cool oven that then slowly heats up actually affects the rising agent. Make sure your oven is at the right temperature you will be baking the scones at before you put them in. Also having an oven that is too hot or too cold will affect the baking of your scones immensely.