Name: The best basic scones recipe for the perfect scone everytime
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 3 cups self-raising flour; 100g unsalted butter, chopped; 1 cup milk; Extra flour, for dusting; Jam and whipped cream, for serving

Classic plain scones are essential to a traditional afternoon tea. This scones recipe is a must-have treat that never fails to impress.

Using only self-raising flour, butter and milk, you can’t go wrong with this traditional scone recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups self-raising flour

100g unsalted butter, chopped

1 cup milk

Extra flour, for dusting

Jam and whipped cream, for serving

Method

Preheat oven to 220C. Dust an oven tray with extra flour. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl. Add butter. Use your finger tips to rub butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the centre. Add milk and mix with a butter knife until mixture comes together to form a soft loose dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead briefly (about 30 seconds) until dough is smooth.

Use the palm of your hand to press dough into a 2cm thick round. Use a 5cm cookie cutter to cut 12 rounds from dough. Place rounds onto prepared tray, about 2cm apart. Dust with a small amount of flour.

Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with jam and cream.

COOK’S TIPS

If you don’t have a cookie cutter on hand, just form the dough into a rectangular shape. Use a sharp knife to cut dough into 12 rectangles.
You can re-roll any scraps but try to limit the amount of times you re-roll to once, as the scones wont be as light and tender.
Wrapping warm cooked scones with a clean tea-towel will give them a soft crust.
If the weather is really cold, and your finding it hard to soften your butter at room temperature, chill your butter and grate it. This will make it easy to incorporate it into the flour.

Basic scones recipe — The best basic scone *(Credit: Andre Martin)*

More scone recipes to make

Airfryer blueberry scones

Cheese and herb scones

Add ½ cup grated tasty cheese and 2 tablespoons each of finely chopped chives and parsley to butter and flour mixture, just before adding the milk.

Date scones

Soak 1/2 cup roughly chopped pitted dates in boiling water for 10 minutes to soften. Drain well. Add soaked dates to butter and flour mixture just before adding milk.

Sundried tomato and olive scones

Add 2 tablespoons each of finely chopped semi-dried tomatoes and basil leaves and kalamata olives to butter and flour mixture, just before adding the milk.

Want more secrets to the perfect scones? Here’s how to get them right every time.