Mary Berry’s Ultimate Cake Book has been a staple of my family’s kitchen household for over two decades. Filled with classic family recipes, it has never failed us – except, perhaps, Mary’s plain scone recipe.
It’s pretty simple with only six cheap ingredients, making it perfect for student baking. Flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs, and milk – that’s all you need. However, by following Mary’s original instructions you end up with a small, heavy, and dense bite-sized scone. Here’s how to make your scones big, fluffy, and truly show-stopping (no offence Mary, we do love you).
Ingredients
Step one for making the perfect scone: Triple the recipe. Double isn’t enough, and quadruple the proportions begin to fail on you. This means that you will need:
675 grams self-raising flour
6 teaspoons baking powder
150 grams of soft butter
75 grams caster sugar
3 eggs
350 ml (ish) Milk (dairy-free alternative works fine)
The New and Improved Method
Preheat your oven to 200° Celsius (392° Fahrenheit) – this is lower than Mary suggests, as I find that baking lower and slower gives your scones a better chance to rise.
Measure out your flour and baking powder, and then add your butter – I cut it up into small cubes to speed up the process of rubbing it in with your fingertips “until it resembles small breadcrumbs”, as Mary puts it. This is where you want to get some air into the mixture by rubbing the butter in lightly and thoroughly. Add the sugar (you can adjust depending on your sweet tooth) and stir through. Break the eggs into a measuring jug, then use the milk to make the wet ingredients up to 450ml total. Use a fork to give it a whisk – this ensures the eggs are properly incorporated into the mixture.
This is where you need to focus on making the scones as light as possible (the key to the perfect scone), giving you the best rise – this is what Mary’s recipe lacks. Mix your milk and egg mixture slowly into the wet ingredients – you likely won’t need all of it. Don’t mix until the dough bonds together – instead, turn the mixture onto a clean surface before it has had the chance to create a dough. Knead lightly (be prepared to get messy) until it forms a soft dough. Add more milk if it is crumbly, and add more flour if it is sticky. Don’t overwork the mixture – this will make your scones dense and prevent them from rising.
Use a rolling pin (or wine bottle) to roll your mixture. You want it to be thick – Mary suggests rolling it to a thickness of 1 cm – I say roll it to a thickness of around 3-4 cm. Grab a cutter or a glass with a diameter of roughly 8cm, and roll the rim in flour to prevent sticking and condensing the layers you have formed in the dough by gently working it earlier. Cut the mixture into rounds – don’t leave any dough, this is a no-waste operation! Place on a greased baking tray and use the rest of your milk mixture to brush or spoon on top of the scones to give them a golden-brown colour when baked.
Place in the centre of your preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Check them regularly – they are done when the tops are a beautiful golden-brown colour. If you’re unsure, pick one up (hot!) and tap the base – if it sounds hollow, it’s done!
Jam on first!
Best served warm with jam on first (I’m Cornish, so feel very passionate about jam on first), and a big dollop of clotted cream on top.
Check out some of Brig’s other student-friendly recipes here.
Practice makes perfect! Go forth and enjoy your newfound perfect scone recipe.
Featured Image Credit: Alice Pollard
Journalism student at the University of Stirling. I like writing about happy stories 🙂
