Almond Flour (GF) Raisin Scone Recipe: Crispy Outside, Chewy Inside (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour for scones? ›

A thicker and denser scone or a lighter and fluffier one? If you'd prefer a thicker one, go for a self-raising flour or a bread flour. But if you'd prefer a lighter and fluffier scone, we'd recommend all-purpose or pastry flour.

Cover the scones with clingfilm and rest for an hour before baking. This second rest period also relaxes the dough, making sure the outside of the scones doesn't end up crusty, but nice and tender.

The less you knead the mix, the less the gluten will tighten up – which means your scones will stay loose and crumbly, rather than tight and springy. Make sure you sieve the flour and baking powder into your bowl. This means that the two will be well mixed together, which gives you a better chance of an even rise.

The mix should be moist, and while it should come out of the mixing bowl clean, expect it to leave your fingers a little sticky. Scone mix is far wetter than a dough – it's somewhere between a batter and a dough. Only lightly flour your work surface to avoid incorporating extra flour into the dough.

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.

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.

But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.

Scones should have a soft, biscuit-like texture but more buttery and crumbly rather than bready like a biscuit. Definitely not runny or soft oozy dough and a chewy texture.

Navigating the vast array of flours at supermarkets can be a daunting task. Many quick scone recipes recommend self-raising flour, which contains a leavening agent that helps achieve the desired rise. Without this leavening agent, scones can become dense and heavy.

My scones have a dense, heavy texture and poor volume

You may have used too little raising agent or over handled the dough before it was baked. The oven may have been too cool.

Why put egg in scones? ›

The egg gives the scones a golden and shiny finish once they are baked. It is however possible to omit the egg and use 1-2 tablespoons of extra milk as a glaze for the scones instead. They will not quite have the same colour and shine but they will still be delicious to eat.

Much like cinnamon rolls, arranging your scones side by side, just touching one another, helps in making the scones rise evenly, and higher. Since the heat causes the scones to rise, if they are placed side by side, the scones will be forced to rise upwards, not outwards.

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 don't have self-raising flour, then sub with plain flour and extra baking powder. For this recipe, add 3.5 teaspoons of baking powder to 375g/3 cups plain (all-purpose) flour and stir together.

Bread flour has too much gluten for a tender scone, and cake flour may not have enough. Pastry flour might work, but I find AP to be the most flexible, and most times it's the least expensive as well. Scones are best mixed by hand. Combine dry ingredients, then in a separate bowl, combine wet.

You can, especially if you like your scones a bit more chewy (more like the texture of a pastry). Strong flour has more protein than all purpose, and will therefore have more gluten and chew. The strong floured scones may brown quicker, so check on them a few minutes early!

Not using enough leavening agent. Placing scones far away from each other on the baking tray. Not preheating the oven before putting in the scones. Low-quality ingredients.