Would you love to make light, fluffy, tall scones? Look no further – Paul Hollywood’s best fluffy scone recipe is the one!
It’s that time of year again…the new series of The Great British Bake off starts tomorrow night on BBC2, 8pm…and I can’t wait!
To celebrate this occasion, I decided to make Paul Hollywood’s scone recipe. I’ve wanted to try this particular recipe for a while now.
I don’t make scones very often because they are usually a bit of a hit or a miss for me. I always longed to make big, fluffy scones but mine can sometimes turn out a bit…flat.
I was well chuffed with these beauties! They rose so high and were really light and fluffy.
How to make the best fluffy scones
According to Mr Hollywood, the secret is in “chafing” the dough, which involves lightly folding the dough in half, turning it 90 degrees and repeating a few times until the dough is smooth.
Scones require a light touch – so handle the dough with care!
I wouldn’t recommend rolling out the dough with a rolling pin either. All you need to do is lightly pat the dough out with your hands.
You don’t want to go to all that effort of handling the dough as carefully as possible only to undo it all!
When you’re cutting out the scones, don’t twist the cutter when lifting them out or the scones will be wonky.
You can use either egg yolk or milk to glaze the top of the scones – egg yolk makes them look shiny and golden and milk gives a soft crust.
Alternatively, you could just simply dust the top of the scones with a little (not too much!) flour.
This gives a “farmhouse kitchen” look to the scones that I’m actually pretty fond of.
The recipe uses bread flour which I’ve never seen in a scone recipe before but it works really well.
I also figured out where else I was going wrong in my scone making – my dough wasn’t wet enough – it was too dry. It should have a slightly sticky consistency.
Please don’t be alarmed by the amount of baking powder in this recipe – you really do need 5 teaspoons. I promise it’s not a misprint!
If you’re making scones then you’ll need something delicious to spread on them – you could make this 4 minute microwave lemon curd while you’re waiting patiently for the scones to bake!
Or if you love rhubarb, you could try my rhubarb and ginger jam recipe.
If rhubarb isn’t your thing, I also have a great blood orange curd recipe. You could of course use normal oranges if blood oranges aren’t in season.
Want to see more scone recipes?
Here’s my date and walnut scones recipe for you to try – they are so delicious spread thickly with butter.
Like fruity scones? Try my classic fruit scone recipe – perfect for afternoon tea!
Or here’s my all time favourite – cheese scones!
Treacle Scones are a perfect bake for Halloween or Bonfire Night.
These salted caramel apple cinnamon scones are absolutely gorgeous – drizzle the the salted caramel glaze over the scones while they are still a little warm for an indulgent afternoon treat!
They are equally as good thickly spread with blackberry jam or apple butter.
If you’ve ever made scones that turned out like hockey pucks, give this recipe a try and I promise you will not be disappointed!
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a comment/star rating and let me know what you thought, or share a photo with me on Instagram!
The Best Fluffy Scone Recipe
I've tried dozens of scone recipes over the years and this one is BY FAR the BEST I've ever tried. The method may seem a little fiddly with all the folding and turning of the dough, but if you follow the method EXACTLY as below and handle the dough with care, you'll be rewarded with beautiful, tall, fluffy scones.
Ingredients
- 500g (3 1/2 cups) strong white flour, plus a little extra for rolling out
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 80g (5 1/2 tablespoons) butter, plus a little extra for greasing the tray
- 75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
- 2 large (not extra large) eggs
- 5 tsp baking powder, Yes really 5 teaspoons – this is not a misprint!
- 250ml (one cup) milk
- I egg yolk OR 1 tbsp milk, for glazing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220C/200Fan/428F.
- Lightly grease a baking tray with butter and line with baking paper.
- Place 450g of the flour and 1/2 tsp salt into a large bowl and add the butter.
- Rub the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb like mixture.
- Add the sugar, eggs and baking powder use a wooden spoon to turn the mixture gently.
- Add half the milk and stir gently with a spoon to combine. Then add the rest of milk a little at a time until you have a very soft, wet dough. You may not need to add all of the milk.
- Flour a work surface (using the remaining four but keep a little back) and tip the dough out. Sprinkle with the remaining flour. The mixture will be slightly wet and sticky, but it shouldn't be too sticky to handle.
- Using your hands, fold the dough in half, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. This method is called “chaffing”. Repeat a few times until the dough is smooth. Take care not to overwork the dough.
- Next roll the dough out. Sprinkle more flour on the work surface and on top of the dough, then use the rolling pin to roll up from the middle and down from the middle. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and continue to roll until it’s roughly 2.5cm thick. “Relax” the dough by lifting the edges and dropping the dough back down on the work surface.
- Using a cutter dipped in flour, stamp out rounds from the dough and place on the baking tray. Don’t twist the cutter when pressing down, it could make the scones uneven. Leftover dough can be re-worked and re-rolled, but the resulting scones won’t turn out quite as fluffy.
- Place the scones on the tray and leave to rest for a few minutes. Glaze the scones with the beaten egg yolk or milk, trying not to let the mixture run down the sides.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until well risen and golden.
Notes
For light and fluffy scones, it's very important to handle the dough with care. You don't want to knock the air out, so being gentle is key!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 303Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 326mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 8g
Those look perfect! I would be very pleased too! Have only seen the American Great Baking Competition knock-off, but now want to see the original British series.
I have already told HIM that we can’t go out tonight – UNLESS we get home in time to watch GBBO on BBC2 (9pm for us in Brussels) ….
PS – these scones look AMAZING!!
Always love trying new scone recipes!
Ha ha quite right! Thank you 🙂
Hi, thank you! I love the GBBO. You should definitely watch it if you ever get the chance, it’s very addictive 🙂
Hi Yummychunklet! This recipe is really worth a try 🙂
Did you really use five spoons of baking powder? Seems an awful lot to me, Wendy.
Yes, really 5 teaspoons. I had to double check this, I thought it was a misprint. But it was right enough. It must be because the recipe uses bread flour.
I love this recipe Nic! I’ve never made such lovely scones as these before.
Brilliant isn’t it Anna? A keeper of a recipe 🙂
[…] A really good scone recipe and The Great British Bake Off. […]
Wonderful!
oh, I know this is an old post, but I must say I recently BINGED WATCHED the whole British Bake Off and loved each second of it… Scones are also hit or miss for me, often they turn as hockey pucks, but I am tempted to try your recipe, as I love Paul Hollywood in the show… such blue eyes on top of all that talent, right?
These scones seem to turn out prefectly every time – a few of my friends also love the recipe! I could really go for one right now ☺
I saw episode last nite Tues Oct 11 2016. Paul made a large single scone quick and E Z Looked like a savoury sort Cut into 4 ways he said to unfold like a flower as it baked I can’t find recipe Think it had cheese and others Can you help Harry
Would anyone remember from last weeks show Paul made a Scone Loaf that he referred to as “opening into a beautiful Bloom” in the oven I see all individual biscuit size but not the loaf Would you know where I can find the recipe to the round loaf??? Thanks Harry
I’m sorry Harry, I’m not sure. I’ve had a look online but can’t see anything. I wonder if it’s worth looking on Youtube to see if you can find the clip of Paul making the loaf?
Thank you for this post. I am attempting all the GBBO bakes ever and scones are next! 🙂
I will go through and convert measurement to cups, etc. But I will try this recipe. Now if I could find clotted cream here I’d be all set. WWE w e nt to the UK to celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary in April. I fell in love with afternoon tea and scones with clotted cream. Tobe able to re produce this treat would bring back wonderful memories until we can visit again. Thank you.
Clotted cream is very easy to make, especially if you have a crock-pot. Search Pinterest for the recipe, but basically dump heavy cream (even ultra pasturised works) into the crock pot and leave for 8-10 hours on warm. Remove crock and leave to cool, then refrigerate. Once cold and set, skim off top layer and mix in with some of the remaining cream. Enjoy!
I love this show and Paul! But, I have to say the best scones I have ever made are Ina Garten’s Maple oatmeal scones. Have you tried that one? They come out perfect every time but, of course it is Ina, so there is a pound of butter involved 🙂
It’s a great show isn’t it? Oh yes I have made those scones and they are absolutely delicious. They are definitely up there with some one of best scones ever! I love anything with maple syrup ?
I agree!
I’d love to try this recipe. Do you have American measurements?
It’s something I’m working on Barbara, so watch this space ?
Lovely recipe, I I would suggest substituting whipping cream (35%) for the milk based on my experiences with Rose Levy Berenbaum”s scone recipe from her Pie and Pastry Bible, which i have used for more than 15 years. Her recipe also includes three or four roll out and turns (chaffing) of the dough. The crumb on her recipes is wonderful. I have substituted either half and half or milk and neither compares to the cream. Love watching the TV show.
That’s a great tip Judith, thank you! ? Rose’s books are on my wish list!
Will the teaspoons of baking powder still be okay if I use cake wheat flour
I am going to try this scone recipe all my scones turn out like biscuits, what strong flour do you recommend as I have never used it before.
Regards
Heather
Hi Heather, I just use any supermarket branded strong white bread flour. I’ve also used Allinson’s with good results.
Can you please put it in US measurements and serve grams looked it up it’s not telling me anything please help thank you
Hi Sharon, I’m currently working on getting this information on my blog very soon, so watch this space ? Thank you!
I know I’m late coming to the party, so you may not see this question,,, My brother-in-law (who is British) is coming with my sister to visit soon and I would love to make him afternoon tea and surprise him with scones. I know our American ingredients are slightly inferior, but I will try my best. My question is – so as not to overwork the dough, if I want to add the currants or sultanas that he likes, at what point would I add them to avoid overmixing? Your recipe sounds brilliant, by the way and I’m sure I… Read more »
Hi Tammy, what a lovely idea! I would add the dried fruit when you pour in the milk. I think 75g fruit would be enough – which would be a generous 1/2 cup size (according to my cups!) Good luck with the scones and please let me know how you get on!
Is caster sugar icing sugar or regular sugar.
Hi Carol, caster sugar has a finer texture than regular sugar and is especially for baking – I think it might be called super fine sugar or baking sugar in America. Icing sugar is for buttercream and making glazes. I hope that helps!
Do we use plain or self raising flour ?
Hi, this recipe uses white bread (strong) flour.
High, yes, but all you can taste is the baking powder. I have to host two cream teas this week and was looking for a tall, fluffy scone which these would have been but the taste is awful. What a shame. I have eaten one and now have a gassy repeat in my throat, sorry for that detail but it is the truth. I used to run my own farmhouse cream tea garden and certainly could not have served these.
Following my recent withering review, I have baked another batch with 4 teaspoons of baking powder and they are perfect. No taste of baking powder and have risen just as well.
I’m so glad to hear that. I was quite concerned about your initial review because I’ve never detected a strong baking powder taste from these scones. I was planning to make a batch and check! But I’m pleased they turned out ok in the end! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
best ever honestly you need to make these. follow the method exactly ..
So glad you like them Natisha!
Best scones I’ve ever made, thank you. Been making scones for years, many different recipes, but somehow they don’t always turn out how you want them. And I want them like the kind of scones you get when you have a fancy afternoon tea. I added sultanas to mine.
Hi Rebecca, I’m really glad you liked them! They are the best plain scones I’ve ever made as well.
I live in the US and I don’t know how to read this recipe! Is it possible to convert it?
Hi Michele, I’m currently in the process of adding cup measurements to my recipes, but it takes quite a bit of time because I have to re-make all the recipes. I don’t use auto conversion tools in my recipe card because unfortunately, it isn’t always entirely accurate and can affect the recipe. This is why I’m going through the process myself, I want to make sure it’s 100% correct. It’s always best to use a scale when baking for accuracy, but there are a few conversion sites online if you want to try and convert the recipe to cups 🙂
I made scones using this recipe far too much milk ended up with a cake batter.
Hi Cruella, I’m really sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you. As I’ve mentioned in the post, it is a rather sticky wet dough, but it shouldn’t have been like cake batter. Can I ask what type of flour you used? I know different types of flours absorb liquid differently, so that might be a factor. Or maybe your eggs were larger than average?
the butter should be cold