Buttermilk Scones

4.75 from 8 votes

The BEST fluffy scones recipe based on the CWA Buttermilk Scones recipe.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Australian, British

Servings: scones

Calories: 121kcal

2 cups SR flour (or 2 cups plain/all-purpose flour + 4 teaspoons baking powder)
pinch salt
1 tablespoon icing sugar
50 grams butter (use cold butter)
1 cup buttermilk (regular or cultured) (plus a little extra for brushing tops of scones before baking)

Pre-heat oven to 210 degrees celsius / 410 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced).
Grease a slice tin or cake tin (any baking dish with higher sides) with butter.
Whisk sifted flour, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.
Cut butter into small cubes around the size of a dice and rub into the flour by hand until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the centre and pour in all of the buttermilk.
Stir with a butter knife until the mixture sticks together in a ball.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface.
Pat together mixture with your hands and flatten until about 3cm thick.
Use a floured scone cutter to press out rounds.
Carefully place the scones onto the baking tray, almost touching.
Brush tops of scones with a little extra buttermilk or milk.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until a pale golden colour on top.
Allow to cool for a minute or two in the dish before turning out into a clean tea towel placed on a cooling rack. Wrap in the tea towel and – if possible – serve while still warm with jam and whipped cream.

Serving and storing:

Serve immediately. Scones will last for about a day, but are always best as fresh as possible.

Freezing:

Let scones cool before freezing and place in a freezer bag or airtight container. Scones will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition:

The nutrition information is an automatically generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Tips:

Throughout the process, you want to incorporate as much air as possible. Make sure you sift flour and then whisk dry ingredients together. As you are rubbing in the butter, lift the mixture up and let it sprinkle back into the bowl rather than pushing the butter and mixture down into the bowl.
Treat the dough like it is delicate and DO NOT knead.
Use a floured scone cutter to press out rounds. Don't twist the cutter as you cut out the scones. Just push down firmly and then gently pop out the scone from the cutter.