Scones

[Serendipitystardust]

Have tried a couple of recipes but am still failing to bake well risen scones. So pretty please share with me your best scone recipes and any tips for baking really nice, tall scones. 💐

Nigella's recipe never fails. Called Lily's Scones, I think. Don't overwork them or they won't rise, just bring the mixture together don't knead it.

One tip I remember reading to get tall scones is that when you press down with your cutter you shouldn't twist it to release the dough (tempting as it is) - just press down once with the cutter and lift - if you twist then it can impact the height.

I think the no twist thing makes sense. Twisting would ‘seal’ the edges so they would resist rising. You also need to make them quite thick to start with to get tall scones, I used to roll them out too thin. Now I just pat them into shape before cutting rather than rolling. Sometimes they’re a bit “rustic” as a result, but always light and fluffy.

I agree, don't roll them too thin to start with, just pat the dough down with your hands a little. Leave the dough about 3-4cm thick. Also, handle the dough as little as possible.

This Avoca recipe is the best I've tried:
powerscourt.com/avoca-scones

I tasted these at the Avoca restaurant in Belfast and immediately had to search for the recipe! They are delicious!

Thank you so much all. I think I was rolling out too thin and thinking they'd magically rise. Have just made a batch using the Avoca recipe linked above and they look pretty awesome if I do say so myself. They are also really delish so thanks 😀

Glad you liked them!
Something else you can do, just for aesthetics - egg or milk wash on top before you put them in the oven gives them a lovely glazed look, but no effect on the flavour, so I don't bother if I'm feeling lazy.