4 Ingredient Cheese Scones (2024)

FAQs

Why are my cheese scones dry? ›

Avoid overworking your scone dough when shaping. Don't overbake! If you bake scones too long, they'll dry out, so keep an eye on them through the oven window. (Don't open the oven to look — it'll let out the heat.)

If you are using baking soda, you will want to use buttermilk, an acidic ingredient that will react with the leavener to help them rise. On the other hand, if you use cream or milk, you'll want to use baking powder because it combines the acid needed with baking soda all in one complete powder.

We love using oil as it is light on animal fat and also very easy to use. Because we serve the scones with butter or whipped cream, it is okay not to use butter in the scone itself. However, if you prefer a scone made with butter, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the flour resembles a coarse type of grain.

Use all-purpose flour for a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely, both in and out of the oven. To make more delicate, lower-rising, cake-like scones, substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour.

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.

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

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.

It's usually one or the other. The clotted cream is spread liberally over each slice of scone and a little strawberry jam is placed on top. If you don't have clotted cream then you use butter instead. Though, you could use any type of jam, strawberry is probably the most authentic variety.

Just use the same amount of yogurt as the recipe calls for buttermilk. For the right thickness, you might need to mix it with a little water. Sour cream: Sour cream substitute works well too! Just like with yogurt, use the same amount of sour cream as you would buttermilk.

Use Greek Yogurt When You're Low on Your Favorite Dairy Ingredients. If you're low on dairy ingredients, don't fret. Greek yogurt can substitute milk, sour cream and heavy cream.

What are the qualities of a perfect scone? ›

Scones are considered ”quick” breads since they are leavened with baking powder or baking soda and cream of tartar. They may be plain, but often have a wide variety of sweet or savory ingredients. Scones should be golden on the outside and tender and flaky inside, like a slightly sweetened biscuit.

How to make scones rise high? Once you've cut out your scone shapes, flip them over and place upside down on the baking tray. This will help them rise evenly and counteract any 'squashing' that happened when you cut out the dough. Perfect scones should rise to about 2 inches high.

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.

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.