What could be more British for afternoon tea than this traditional fruit scone recipe? Delicious just with butter and jam or why not dress them up with jam and clotted cream too?
When I was a child my mum used to make a traditional fruit scone recipe and I always though they were a bit boring. Of course, that was because I preferred cake. I didn't dislike them, but if I had a choice, I would have chosen something else. And if I was going to have a scone, I preferred a cheese one!
Mary Berry's fruit scone recipe
Some things do change though. I decided to try making traditional raisin scones and so chose to follow a recipe just slightly adapted from Mary Berry's Baking Bible
I knew I could trust Mary Berry's scones and if anyone's scones would be worth eating it would be hers. I was right. The scones were lovely - just right for an afternoon snack.
In fact, I even made them again soon after, doubling the quantity so I could freeze some. After all, they are one of the easiest recipes you can make.
What ingredients do you need to make fruit scones?
You probably already have all the ingredients to make these fruit scones. You just need:
- self-raising flour - You can replace this with plain flour. Just add an extra teaspoon of baking powder.
- baking powder
- butter - At room temperature (but not too soft) is best so it's easier to rub into the flour
- caster sugar
- sultanas or raisins - Feel free to experiment and replace these with other dried fruit or even chocolate!
- eggs - I usually use large ones
- milk - I use semi skimmed as that's what we have at home but whole milk or skimmed milk will also work.
Tips when making scones
Try to work quickly when making scones and don't work the dough too much. You want the scones to be light with a crumbly texture and overworking can make them tougher as it activates the gluten.
The best way to eat fruit scones
There is a lot of argument about the pronunciation of scones, whether you have to eat them with cream and of course whether the cream or jam goes on the scone first. As far as I'm concerned, none of that matters.
In my opinion it's best to eat these scones with butter, soon after they come out of the oven so the butter melts in. If they go cold, just pop them in the microwave for a few seconds and they'll taste freshly baked again. You can eat them cold, but they're just so much nicer warm.
How long do these traditional fruit scones last for?
Scones are best eaten within about 2 days. However, if you want to make a big batch you can freeze them in an airtight container. They will keep well in the freezer for about 4 months.
Can you adapt these traditional fruit scones?
You can make lots of changes to the kind of dried fruit that you add to these scones. Try mixed peel, cranberries or glace cherries. You can even miss the fruit out altogether or replace it with chocolate chips!
Recipe
Traditional Fruit Scone Recipe
Ingredients
- 550 g self-raising flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 100 g butter at room temperature, cubed
- 50 g caster sugar
- 100 g sultanas or raisins
- 2 eggs
- 140 ml milk approx
Instructions
- Put the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingers until it is like breadcrumbs.
- Mix in the sugar and raisins.
- Break the eggs into a measuring jug and beat it lightly then add enough milk to make up 300ml.
- Pour the milk and egg into the bowl with the flour and mix with a metal spoon or knife until it forms a soft dough.
- Sprinkle some flour onto the work surface and knead the dough gently for a minute until it is smooth.
- Roll the dough out to about 1.5cm thick. Then use a round biscuit cutter to cut out the scones. Put them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in the oven at 200°C for about 10 minutes.
- Cool the scones on a wire rack and serve with butter and jam. Or jam and cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Scone Recipes
Why not try one of these scone recipes?
Keep in touch
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Django
Hi. I tried your fruit scone recipe. I wonder if you need to recheck your ingredient list that lists 140milk. The notes say add the milk to the eggs to make 300ml. My scones turned out on the dry side which makes me think the ingredient list for milk should have been more than 140ml.
Corina Blum
Hi, I have always used a total of 300ml of eggs and milk together so if your eggs were smaller you might need more than 140ml of milk. Did the dough seem too dry before they were baked? I am wondering if maybe your oven cooks at a slightly higher temperature than mine and that could be why they were dry.
Buddy
Made these fruit scones in just 15 minutes. They're perfect for an elegant afternoon tea or a sweet weekend treat. We served them with jam and clotted cream. Thanks for the recipe!
yvonne burke
I have used many recipes for scones but this one is one of the nicest and very easy thankyou
Corina
I'm so glad you liked it.
Alison
I love scones, these look gorgeous
Corina
Thank you
What Kate Baked (@whatkatebaked)
I do adore a classic scone, the perfect tea time treat! And yours look simply delectable, no wonder you're planning to double to quantities next time!
Corina
Thank you. I feel a bit like I've discovered something new with these. Easy to make and I like them much more than I used to!
Javelin Warrior
I was the same way as a kid - I'd much rather grab a donut than a scone 😉 But the older I've gotten, the more I appreciate these delicious treats. These are beautiful and I love the height you've achieved...
Corina
Thank you. I'm not an expert at making scones at all so I was quite pleased with how they looked too - I hope it's not just beginners luck!
Ang
I've never made scones before, but have always wanted to give it a try! I'm pining this and hope to try them for Easter. Thanks for visiting me over the weekend!
Corina
Thank you. I do hope you like them. They would make a lovely snack over Easter.
MyKabulKitchen
Thank you for this lovely recipe! I will admit I never tried scones simply because they looked dry and unappealing. That is until I visited bakery in the fall San Diego that apparently specializes in freshly baked scones. I tried my first flavor (simply lemon glazed) and have been hooked since then. I couldn't believe I had been missing out all this time, and was surprised that the inside of the scone was soft and had a delicate flavor. I think half of the joy in scones are eating them warm and enjoying the butter sweet scent, both incentives for me to bake these at home. Thanks to you and GB for this wonderful treat 🙂
Corina
Thank you for sharing your story. It sounds like that bakery was a wonderful discovery and probably an ideal place to try your first scone. They are definitely best eaten warm as they don't stay soft for long once they have cooled down.
Chris
Wonderful, I love some scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam together with a nice cuppa. Great! Your scones are looking good. Thank you for joining Bloggers Around the World.
Corina
That would be lovely and relaxing.