Help with scones!

[Castlelough]

I'm following a Mary Berry recipe.
I've measured out everything for the recipe, but I was wondering about the self raising flour.
Should I sieve it?
It doesn't say in the recipe. It just says to mix with baking powder in a bowl...but maybe it's a given that it should be sieves first?

sieved

I always sieve flour first. Hold the sieve high over the bowl to aerate the flour. also gets rid of any lumps.

I never sieve

But yeah, you probably should!!

You need to sieve to get air in; that wil help with rising.

Thank you! Have sieved!

I make scones most days. I've never sieved.

I sometimes use a balloon whisk on the dry ingredients to fluff it all up & aerate the flour - less hassle than sieving & does the same job

Well, they are in the oven. The mixture was a bit wet and sticky. I had to use a good but of flour on the work surface to firm it up a bit. There is dough everywhere!
Very impressed by people who bake scones daily! Maybe I will practise scones until they become easier! I do like the short baking time - that's a good plus!

Hmmm they seem a little flat. But yummy!

Maybe I shouldn't have used plain flour on the work surface?
Will practise harder!

Any tips from scone goddesses are very welcome!!!

Crashing the thread. Am a good baker overall but defeated by scones. They never, never rise.
Have tried loads of recipes, what the hell am I doing wrong? Don't think its the oven as bake most weekends and all other cakes, muffins and traybakes are fine. Would dearly love to be able to make scones......

Ha demented crash all you like! We'll eventually crack the scone code...!

Perfect scone recipe as they always turn out well, however scones never rise a lot so you do have to roll them out quite thick.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4622/classic-scones-with-jam-and-clotted-cream

Try lemonade scones. So easy, never go wrong, but they do need to be eaten the same day (such a hardship).

Lemonade scones??? Tell me more?

uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/631496

You can add a bit of sugar if you don't find them sweet enough.

I rate nigella's buttermilk scones; she uses cream of tartar and baking powder as well as the buttermilk.

The mix should be stickyish for scones and you shouldn't overmix them.

I sometimes just pat the dough out-quite thick and cut into rough wedges rather than cutting out.

Thanks hugo. Will give them a go this week!

For better-risen scones try rolling out thicker, actually don't even roll - once you have the mixture together just knead very gently and squash down with the flats of your hands a little until you have a thick, round-ish shape.
Delia's recipe is good -watch the online vid, it explains the necessary rubbing in method for getting lighter, fluffier scones. And it works.

Do you use salted or unsalted butter?

The Paul Hollywood scone recipe/method is fantastic, as well as foolproof. It used bread flour and large amounts of baking powder, but they're the only scones I've got to go well and they are huge and fantastic, if I do say so myself...

the lemon blueberry scones on www.pastryaffair.com are easy and delicious!

(as are the chocolate and peanut butter browniesð???)

second Paul Hollywood scone method. Lovely scones.

I use Mary Berry's recipe, never fails and v simple. Bind the dough gently, minimal light needing and gently squash into about a 2cm high circle before cutting. I only make 6/7 scones from her recipe so they are high and large, if you try to make 12 they are small and flat. The cheese ones are delicious.

I use the Be-Ro book recipe, haven't made any for a while but we had a spell of making them every week last year (cheese ones, for the DCs packed lunches). I rub in using the food processor, tip the mix into a bowl and add the milk using a knife to stir it, then pat it out and cut it, as little handling as possible. I don't sieve though.

Oh and make sure the butter is cold and cut into small cubes before rubbing in.