These traditional British scones are a sweet, buttery canvas for fruits, curds, and jams. They are perfect for sitting down for a sweet snack and taking some “me” time. 

I’ve only ever had a scone once during the six years I lived in England. The experience was horrible. Not because of the scone, but the situation around it. I was at a restaurant on an interview with the owner of a small boutique shop and the interview did not go well. She wanted me to wrap and neatly decorate a small box with twine. I could barely tie my shows nicely, let alone make a box look all fancy. So, spent about 20 minutes sweating over how to get this stupid box and obviously didn’t even get a call back to tell me I didn’t get the job.

The scone on its own was pretty good though.

I still can’t tie a bow well, but now I have a friend who used to do it professionally, so if I ever need a really fancy gift wrapped box, I can go to her. I’ve also had my fair share of scones since then, and have shared a few like my brown butter coconut chocolate chip scones and my gingerbread scones. They get such a bad rep, but they are so good when made well. And these traditional scones are probably one of the best I’ve had.

When I saw the recipe for traditional British scones in The British Table, I had to make. them. There are a ton of incredible recipes from The British Table and it reminded me so much of being back in Chiswick. What I love about the book is that it gives you a bit of history of the dish in British history. And who doesn’t love a bit of history with their food? For me, that’s half the fun.

Yield: 16 scones

Traditional British Scones

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Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut in cubes, chilled
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup whole milk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together.
3. Slowly incorporate the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or your hands. The mixture should resemble coarse meal when finished.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk until well combined.
5. Add in one cup of the milk mixture into the flour and mix until just combined and the dough comes together. Add more milk as needed if the dough looks dry.
6. Separate the dough in half and form into large discs that are one inch thick. Cut the discs to make eight triangles from each. Brush the tops with the remaining milk mixture. Separate each wedge and place on the baking sheets. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a light golden brown on top.