Paul Hollywood's best fluffy scone recipe - Something Sweet Something Savoury (2024)

LAST UPDATED: BY NICKKI THOMPSON FIRST PUBLISHED: 77 Comments

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Would you love to make light, fluffy, tall scones? Look no further – Paul Hollywood’s best fluffy scone recipe is the one!

It’s that time of year again…the new series of The Great British Bake off starts tomorrow night on BBC2, 8pm…and I can’t wait!

To celebrate this occasion, I decided to make Paul Hollywood’s scone recipe. I’ve wanted to try this particular recipe for a while now.

Paul Hollywood's best fluffy scone recipe - Something Sweet Something Savoury (1)

I don’t make scones very often because they are usually a bit of a hit or a miss for me. I always longed to make big, fluffy scones but mine can sometimes turn out a bit…flat.

Paul Hollywood's best fluffy scone recipe - Something Sweet Something Savoury (2)

I was well chuffed with these beauties! They rose so high and were really light and fluffy.

How to make the best fluffy scones

According to Mr Hollywood, the secret is in “chafing” the dough, which involves lightly folding the dough in half, turning it 90 degrees and repeating a few times until the dough is smooth.

Scones require a light touch – so handle the dough with care!

I wouldn’t recommend rolling out the dough with a rolling pin either. All you need to do is lightly pat the dough out with your hands.

You don’t want to go to all that effort of handling the dough as carefully as possible only to undo it all!

When you’re cutting out the scones, don’t twist the cutter when lifting them out or the scones will be wonky.

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You can use either egg yolk or milk to glaze the top of the scones – egg yolk makes them look shiny and golden and milk gives a soft crust.

Alternatively, you could just simply dust the top of the scones with a little (not too much!) flour.

This gives a “farmhouse kitchen” look to the scones that I’m actually pretty fond of.

The recipe uses bread flour which I’ve never seen in a scone recipe before but it works really well.

I also figured out where else I was going wrong in my scone making – my dough wasn’t wet enough – it was too dry. It should have a slightly sticky consistency.

Please don’t be alarmed by the amount of baking powder in this recipe – you really do need 5 teaspoons. I promise it’s not a misprint!

If you’re making scones then you’ll need something delicious to spread on them – you could make this 4 minute microwave lemon curd while you’re waiting patiently for the scones to bake!

Or if you love rhubarb, you could try my rhubarb and ginger jam recipe.

If rhubarb isn’t your thing, I also have a great blood orange curd recipe. You could of course use normal oranges if blood oranges aren’t in season.

Want to see more scone recipes?

Here’s my date and walnut scones recipe for you to try – they are so delicious spread thickly with butter.

Like fruity scones? Try my classic fruit scone recipe – perfect for afternoon tea!

Or here’s my all time favourite cheese scones!

Treacle Scones are a perfect bake for Halloween or Bonfire Night.

These salted caramel apple cinnamon scones are absolutely gorgeous – drizzle the the salted caramel glaze over the scones while they are still a little warm for an indulgent afternoon treat!

They are equally as good thickly spread with blackberry jam or apple butter.

If you’ve ever made scones that turned out like hockey pucks, give this recipe a try and I promise you will not be disappointed!

Paul Hollywood's best fluffy scone recipe - Something Sweet Something Savoury (4)

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Leave a comment/star rating and let me know what you thought, or share a photo with me on Instagram!

Paul Hollywood's best fluffy scone recipe - Something Sweet Something Savoury (5)

The Best Fluffy Scone Recipe

Yield: 10 Scones

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

I've tried dozens of scone recipes over the years and this one is BY FAR the BEST I've ever tried. The method may seem a little fiddly with all the folding and turning of the dough, but if you follow the method EXACTLY as below and handle the dough with care, you'll be rewarded with beautiful, tall, fluffy scones.

Ingredients

  • 500g (3 1/2 cups) strong white flour, plus a little extra for rolling out
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 80g (5 1/2 tablespoons) butter, plus a little extra for greasing the tray
  • 75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
  • 2 large (not extra large) eggs
  • 5 tsp baking powder, Yes really 5 teaspoons – this is not a misprint!
  • 250ml (one cup) milk
  • I egg yolk OR 1 tbsp milk, for glazing

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200Fan/428F.
  2. Lightly grease a baking tray with butter and line with baking paper.
  3. Place 450g of the flour and 1/2 tsp salt into a large bowl and add the butter.
  4. Rub the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb like mixture.
  5. Add the sugar, eggs and baking powder use a wooden spoon to turn the mixture gently.
  6. Add half the milk and stir gently with a spoon to combine. Then add the rest of milk a little at a time until you have a very soft, wet dough. You may not need to add all of the milk.
  7. Flour a work surface (using the remaining four but keep a little back) and tip the dough out. Sprinkle with the remaining flour. The mixture will be slightly wet and sticky, but it shouldn't be too sticky to handle.
  8. Using your hands, fold the dough in half, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. This method is called “chaffing”. Repeat a few times until the dough is smooth. Take care not to overwork the dough.
  9. Next roll the dough out. Sprinkle more flour on the work surface and on top of the dough, then use the rolling pin to roll up from the middle and down from the middle. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and continue to roll until it’s roughly 2.5cm thick. “Relax” the dough by lifting the edges and dropping the dough back down on the work surface.
  10. Using a cutter dipped in flour, stamp out rounds from the dough and place on the baking tray. Don’t twist the cutter when pressing down, it could make the scones uneven. Leftover dough can be re-worked and re-rolled, but the resulting scones won’t turn out quite as fluffy.
  11. Place the scones on the tray and leave to rest for a few minutes. Glaze the scones with the beaten egg yolk or milk, trying not to let the mixture run down the sides.
  12. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until well risen and golden.

Notes

For light and fluffy scones, it's very important to handle the dough with care. You don't want to knock the air out, so being gentle is key!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 303Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 326mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 8g

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Take a picture and tag @somethingsweetsomethingsavoury on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook! I love to see what you've been making!

Paul Hollywood's best fluffy scone recipe - Something Sweet Something Savoury (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour for scones? ›

Use all-purpose flour for a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely, both in and out of the oven. To make more delicate, lower-rising, cake-like scones, substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour. Reduce the liquid in the recipe by 1 to 2 tablespoons, using just enough to bring the dough together.

Why are my scones not light and fluffy? ›

Avoid using a food processor to mix scones: A food processor will work, but it often overworks the scone dough. We recommend using your hands until the mixture comes together. Overworking the dough will lead to scones that are tough and chewy, rather than light and flaky.

What to avoid when making scones? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones
  1. Using anything but cold ingredients. The secret to the flakiest scones is to start with cold ingredients — cold butter, cold eggs, and cold cream. ...
  2. Only using all-purpose flour. ...
  3. Overmixing the dough. ...
  4. Not chilling the dough before baking. ...
  5. Baking them ahead of time.
May 1, 2019

Are scones sweet or savoury? ›

British scones are often lightly sweetened, but may also be savoury. They frequently include raisins, currants, cheese or dates.

Why do my scones spread out and not rise? ›

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

What is the secret to making scones rise? ›

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

Is heavy cream or buttermilk better for scones? ›

Sometimes, bakers add buttermilk because of its unique sour taste. This is especially true in biscuits and scones. Heavy cream, lacking the sourness, isn't up to this task.

What is better for scones buttermilk or heavy cream? ›

Heavy Cream or Buttermilk: For the best tasting pastries, stick with a thick liquid such as heavy cream or buttermilk. I usually use heavy cream, but if you want a slightly tangy flavor, use buttermilk.

Should you chill scone dough before baking? ›

Not chilling the dough before baking: to really ace your scones, it helps to chill your dough again before it's baked. Using cold ingredients does help, but your hands will warm up the dough when you're working with it and the extra step of chilling will help you get the best result.

How long should you rest scones before baking? ›

Recipes for scones sometimes provide a make-ahead option that involves refrigerating the dough overnight so it can simply be shaped and then popped into the oven the next day. But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.

What is the best temperature for baking scones? ›

The first batch into the oven was 'plain' Original Recipe. I preheated the oven to 405 degrees (it runs hot so this is the setting that gives me 425 degrees). The scones came out of the freezer, were set onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, placed into the oven. I set timer for 18 minutes and moved on.

Why are scones bad for you? ›

They are typically extremely high in calories from the heavy butter and cream. And, although scones with fruit might seem healthier, most are even higher in calories and still high in saturated fat. Steer clear of scones.

What is the perfect scone texture? ›

Fluffy and soft with a little crisp to the edges and top. The perfect scone doesn't come easy. There are many little gritty things that can get in the way of achieving that all-buttery point of perfection.

What is the best raising agent for a scone? ›

The two come in combination as bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) is an alkaline and needs the addition of an acid, such as cream of tartar, to create the carbon dioxide that causes the scones to rise. The amount of cream of tartar - 4 1/2 teaspoons - is correct.

How were scones traditionally made? ›

The first scones

Scones were originally made using oats, shaped into a large round and scored into four or six wedges. They were then griddle baked over an open fire, although today's versions are made with flour and baked in the oven.

What do traditional scones have in them that are not originally in American scones? ›

American scones use much more butter than British scones, and they usually have quite a bit more sugar. The extra butter is what makes them so much denser. This is not really a good or bad thing, as British scones pile on plenty of sugar (in the form of preserves/jam) and butter or clotted cream as toppings.

What ingredient makes scones rise? ›

Scone Ingredients

Sugar: White sugar lends sweetness. Baking powder: Baking powder act as a leavener, which means they help the scones rise. Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor of the scones. Butter: Make sure the butter is frozen before you incorporate it into the dough for the flakiest results.

References

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