FAQs
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. Make sure you sieve the flour and baking powder into your bowl. This means that the two will be well mixed together, which gives you a better chance of an even rise.
What is the secret to making good scones? ›
Top tricks I learnt from the experts for baking perfect scones:
- Resist the twist.
- Use frozen butter.
- Don't overwork the dough.
- Freeze the dough. ...
- Create rise and shine.
- Follow this recipe.
- Reduce the juice.
- Fresh is best.
Why do my scones fall over when cooking? ›
You may have used too little raising agent or over handled the dough before it was baked. The oven may have been too cool.
How do you fix dry scone dough? ›
Give the dough a little extra kneading, just until it comes together, and that alone might be enough to fix it. If using a stand mixer, try finishing the dough by hand.
What not to do when making scones? ›
Just a reminder: Don't overwork the dough or the scones will turn out rubbery – or worse, bullety and hard. Cut out your scones cleanly. Twisting the cutter can impair the rise. If you use a fluted cutter, you can't twist it.
Why are my scones not light and fluffy? ›
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.
Should scones be baked at a high temperature? ›
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.
Why did my scones collapse? ›
Try to leave your scones alone until the end of the cooking process and then quickly check them before removing. A sudden loss of heat from the oven when the scones aren't ready can also make them collapse.
How to keep scones from falling? ›
Keep scones cold before putting them in the oven: For best results, chill the mixture in the fridge before baking, this will help to stiffen up the butter again, which will stop your scones from slumping as soon as they hit the oven's heat.
What to do if dough is too crumbly? ›
The most obvious and easiest fix is to add more liquid. Very slowly, teaspoon by teaspoon, add a liquid that you've already included to your dough. Mix after each teaspoon—you don't want to over-saturate it and risk gooey dough.
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.
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 happens if scone dough is too wet? ›
If the mixture is too wet, sprinkle a little flour onto the surface so that the dough can be moved around more easily. Using your hands, pat the dough out into a rough square and then fold it over once on itself. This fold gives the traditional mark in the middle of the scone.