Buttermilk Scones

These scrumptious light scones are easy to bake and a dream to eat.

Vegetarian. Hands-on time: 5 mins. Total time: 20 mins.

Contributed by Janey Macleod (June 2005).

This is an easy, quick and reliable recipe that will produce about a dozen delicious scones. They taste excellent straight from the oven (let them cool for ten minutes or so before serving). Or, keep them for up to three days, then split, toast and butter them.

You can easily vary this recipe, for example by adding dried fruit (such as raisins or currants) and/or chopped walnuts to the mixture.

Ingredients

• 4 cups (15 oz, 450 g) self-raising flour (or use all-purpose [plain] flour with 2 tsp. baking powder)
• 1/3 cup (2 oz, 50 g) white sugar
• Pinch of salt
• ¾ cup (6 oz, 185 g) cold butter
• 1 cup (8 fl. oz, 240 ml) buttermilk

Method

Oven: Pre-heat to 400F (200C)

Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into very small chunks, then add it to the flour, working it in with your fingers. The mixture should resemble coarse breadcrumbs.

Add the buttermilk a little at a time, stirring as you do so, until you have a firm dough that is not at all sticky. Roll this out on a floured board to a thickness of about an inch (2.5 cm).

Cut the dough into rounds, using a cookie cutter or inverted glass. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet. Bake for ten to 15 minutes, or until well risen and golden brown.

Note on quantities and temperatures:
Quantities are given in American (cups), imperial (oz, fl oz) and metric (g, ml) units. Do not mix the units - use one or other system throughout the recipe.
See also How much does a cup weigh?
oz = ounces, fl oz = fluid ounces, g = grams, ml = milliliters, tsp = teaspoons, tbsp = tablespoons.
Oven temperatures are given in degrees F (Fahrenheit) and C (Celsius).
For fan-assisted ovens, reduce the temperature by 20F or 10C.