Scones are one of the easiest pastries to learn to bake and these are perfect for beginners. They come together quickly and the overnight rest in the refrigerator makes them pretty forgiving.
The ingredients are ones I almost always have in my pantry so when I decide to make a special treat these are often what I choose. They are a family favorite for sure. They also make wonderful gifts to drop off with friends and neighbors!
One thing that will help your scones turn out beautifully is to measure out your buttermilk and measure and cube your butter then place them both back into the refrigerator until the recipe calls for them. Keeping things cold makes a big difference. I don’t even preheat my oven until the scones are assembled, sliced, and ready to bake.
Combine the dry ingredients and give them a good mix to break down any large clumps of brown sugar. Little lumps are ok and actually make for little bursts of flavor in the baked scones.
Pull the buttermilk and butter out of the fridge. Toss the cubed butter in the flour and then cut it into the dry mixture until the butter is the size of large peas.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly stream in the buttermilk until the dough just comes together. There will still be a little dry flour in the bottom of the bowl, that’s ok; it will get incorporated when you knead it by hand.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and carefully knead it a few times, just to incorporate the crumbs and make the dough fairly smooth and not too sticky. Handle the dough as little as possible so as not to melt the bits of butter.
Divide the dough in two and pat each half into an 8 inch circle. The sides won’t be smoothly round and that’s ok.
The scones are best if you can put them back in the refrigerator for a while before you bake them. I prefer to leave them overnight and bake them the following day.
Place each round in a zip-top bag or wrap them tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate. If you need to bake them right away, leave them in the fridge until the oven is completely preheated.
When you are ready to bake the scones, preheat the oven and then pull the scones out to slice once the oven has come to temperature.
Place the circles on an ungreased baking sheet (I use a pizza stone). Cut each circle into 8 triangles. Separate the triangles so they aren’t touching and bake until they are just beginning to turn golden brown around the edges. This will only take 14-16 minutes. You want to avoid over baking them so they aren’t dry.
Transfer the baked scones from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack so they don’t sweat and get soggy.
These scones are soft and fluffy and are delicious warm or cold, served with butter, jam, and fresh whipped cream. Make a batch and tell us who you shared them with!
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
- 1 TBSP baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cups cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 c cold buttermilk
Instructions
- Cut the butter into small cubes and measure out the buttermilk. Place both back in the fridge to keep cold until they are needed.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a food processor, combine the dry ingredients.
- Stir well to combine and break up any large pieces of brown sugar. Smaller lumps are ok.
- Take the butter from the fridge and sprinkle it around the flour mixture int he bowl, trying not to handle it too much.
- Blend on medium speed (or pulse in the food processor) until the butter is the size of peas.
- With the mixer on, slowly stream in the buttermilk until the dough just comes together. There will still be a tablespoon or so of dry flour at the bottom of the bowl.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface being careful to pour the dry flour onto the top of the dough so it can be folded in.
- Knead the dough just a few times with your hands until it comes together and isn't very sticky. Be careful not to handle the dough too much as that will make the scones tough.
- Divide the dough in half and pat each half into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.
- Place each circle in a zip-top bag or wrap tightly in cling wrap and place them both in the refrigerator until the oven is preheated and you are ready to slice and bake them. They are best if left in the fridge overnight but are still delicious if baked the same day.
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Once it is preheated, remove the scone circles from the refrigerator and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Slice each circle into 8 triangles.
- Separate the triangles so they aren't touching and bake just until the edges begin to brown. This will take about 14-16 minutes. Do not overcook the scones or they will be dry.
- Let the scones sit for just a few minutes once they are out of the oven and then serve them with soft butter, lemon curd, jam, and fresh whipped cream.