I made these scones on Australia Day, and learned two things in the process.
Firstly, buttermilk adds a delicious flavour to scones. Secondly, Small Man absolutely adores them.
As I couldn’t find my usual round cutter, I ended up making baby scones, and that mad child of mine ate about dozen of them over the course of the day. They were made with Pepe Saya buttermilk, and served with a sweetened dollop of Pepe’s creme fraiche.
- 300g (2 cups) plain (AP) flour
- 8g (2 generous teaspoons) baking powder
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 75g (5 US tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 50g (¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
- 125ml (½ cup) buttermilk
- 1 large free range egg
1. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) with fan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. In a small jug or large cup, beat the buttermilk and egg together until well combined. Pour off a little (a tablespoon or so) into a small bowl and reserve for later. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the liquid ingredients.
4. Using a butter knife, mix the wet and dry ingredients ingredients. Be careful not to overwork the mixture. Scrape the dough onto a well floured surface, sprinkle a little flour on top, and gently pat it out to a thickness of approximately 2½cm (1″).
5. Using a floured cutter, cut out as many scones as you can and lay them side by side on the baking tray. Be careful not to twist as you cut, or the scones won’t rise well. Gently gather the remaining dough together and repeat.
6. Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved egg/buttermilk, and bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Enjoy!
Addendum: On the following Monday, I taught Small Man how to make these scones. By that time we’d found our round cutter, and he made six large scones from the dough. We used Pepe Saya buttermilk that had been frozen and defrosted (it worked perfectly), and they took a few extra minutes in the oven. I think his scones tasted better than mine! Here’s a photo of them…
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
WOW! Seems so delicious, I loved them, Thank you dear Celia, love, nia
Thanks Nia! They were fun to make, and Small Man was pretty pleased with himself! :)
scones are always good- I make mine with buttermilk- something to do with the chemistry and the flavor- it makes them raise higher and adds an extra dimension of flavor.
Heidi, that’s how I’ll be making them from now on! xx
Celia, do scones keep? I mean, if you make a batch, can you re-heat next day, or do they turn too dry?
Sally, I wish I could answer you, darling. I’ve never had a batch last that long! They’re pretty moist though, with quite a lot of fat, so maybe they’d be ok?
Ooooh they look so yummy! Can’t wait to see what Small Man concocts for Scone Week. ;)
Ha! I’ll tell him the pressure is on, Kate! :D
Thanks for the reminder. I’m going to make some this week. I always make your lemonade scones, but I think I’ll try these. Thanks!
Misky, Pete has decided he prefers these – he doesn’t like the self-raising flour in the lemonade ones. I can’t taste the difference and think he’s just being fussy! We almost have these nailed though, so they’ve become our new house recipe! :)
Must be a man-thing, Celia, because Peder says he likes scones made from regular flour. I tried using plain flour with baking powder but it wasn’t nearly as buoyant. I’ll buy the buttermilk at the farm shop this weekend, and then I’ll bake up a batch to freeze.
I always seem to drool or my mouth starts watering when I read your posts about baked goods:) Happy Hump Day
Thanks Renee! Hope you’re having a great week! x
Golden brown. They look delicious.
Thanks Peter! They were very good with the creme fraiche! :)
They look absolutely delicious. I’ve never had a scone cutter – a glass dipped in flour has always done the job. Love all your recipes.
Valerie, that’s the old fashioned way, isn’t it? I think that’s what Pete’s mum used to do too! I think she used to use an old Vegemite glass – the ones with the straight sides! :)
Wonderful, Celia I’ve been making my scones with buttermilk since my son (now 30) brought home a recipe he’d torn from an old magazine at his school. He was just a little boy! They’re a family favourite at our place too! ; )
Lizzy, that’s so nice, a recipe is absolutely tried and tested when it’s been baked continuously for 30 years!! :)
I want that buttermilk!!. Pity its breakfast time cause id so love one of those scones. I found that freezing really good fresh buttermilk has no effect on it. I dont think you could do that with commercial buttermilk
Darling, you could almost WALK to the butter factory! :) I freeze commercial buttermilk too, and it’s fine.. xx
Small man’s scone sure looks delicious. wonderful that you are teaching him these skills.
Norma, he hasn’t asked to make them again, but we’re taking baby steps. Yesterday Big Boy was in the kitchen making mayonnaise from scratch, which I thought was pretty impressive. :)
It was not possible to teach my own kids to cook, my husband used to complain how I teach other kids to cook but not my own. When my daughter had her own home and made us wonton soup, I noticed she wrapped the wontons the same way as I did. I could not help but comment that she never ever made them when she was home, where did she learn. Her comment was, “I was watching.” So Celia, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, your boys are going to do wonders in their own kitchen.
Oh yum Celia! I’ve actually had a bit of a hankering for scones for a few weeks now. Must have jam and cream. In answer to Sallybr’s question… I actually froze scone dough (cut out ready for the oven) and then defrosted and cooked them. They were as good as fresh!
In (rushed for time) commercial kitchens we can buy boxes of pre-made, frozen raw scones ready to bake. They can be baked from frozen, but I prefer to let them defrost at room temp first for a discernably better result. But I’m sure anything homemade with good quality ingredients would taste better than mass made so-so ones anyday, frozen or not :)
Claire and Becca, thank you! I never thought about freezing the raw dough! That would be great if a large batch was needed!
What’s that expression about teaching a man to fish….. I’m sure it would apply equally to scones . Quick, light fingers, good ingredients and there you have luxury on a plate, a moment of delicious comfort frozen in time – so why not have ten of them?
Jan, don’t encourage him! :) He does love his breaded products – yesterday he at three bagels at dinner! :)
Oh my word – you’ve certainly got a good hand for scones! They look so light and lovely. Mine, more often than not, resemble paperweights.
Amanda, really I don’t, until recently I couldn’t make scones from scratch at all! I finally realised that I just have to accept that the dough is going to be shaggy and not smooth!
Dear Celia,
Well done to Small Man. I am still a fearful baking tragic and the only thing I would do is perhaps chicken curry puffs but I think they don’t count.
Chopinand, curry puffs count! I bet yours are fantastic! :)
Scones are wonderful – it’s good to have something simple & delicious to whip up from the pantry/freezer. Fantastic for Small Man to be able to cook for himself, and others of course. Thanks for the tip about frozen Buttermilk, and Claire K.’s comment about freezing scone dough bears further investigation – very handy indeed.
ED, it’s nice to have this recipe down pat, as it’s something we always have the ingredients for on hand. Having said that, I don’t know that we can keep tubs of creme fraiche on standby – too dangerous to the waistline! :)
Clever Celia, now he can make his own! I think that his look just as awesome as yours do, but of course being bigger they must be better- at least to a teenage boys eyes! :)
Darling, go on, say it, his look better than mine. Pete said they tasted better too! :)
This sounds like a great recipe, Celia. Love the use of buttermilk here and if your Small Man can make them, I’m sure that I can (Well, I think I can.) Thanks for a great recipe and an even better way of serving them.
I started freezing buttermilk during my cheese-making days. I only needed a couple tablespoons per batch of cheese and grew tired of watching the remainder spoil in my fridge. I froze it in ice cube trays and used them as needed.
Thanks John! Have you ever used buttermilk for marinating chicken? People keep telling me to try it, but I never have!
I’ve heard it done to chicken before frying, Celia. I fry chicken so rarely and never have tried it. Just yesterday, a chef on TV said not to do it because if done for too long, it will change the meat’s texture. I’m still going to give it a try and see for myself — if I ever fry some chicken. :)
Will we see these make a showing at international scone week (2nd week of August)?
Passing on the pleasure of cooking is a gift to your children.
Moo! How lovely to hear from you – hope you’re all well! We were talking about you just yesterday as we were making black salt bagels! :) Will these make a showing at International Scone Week? I hope so.. :) xx
Your scones look so lovely, Celia and it really is hard to stop at just one when someone hands you a homemade buttermilk scone straight from the oven! I love how small man is getting into the kitchen! xx Oh…and in my latest post I’ve served the curry in the dish you gave me and it looks really good! xx
Ooh Charlie, I’m so glad you liked the bowl! Small Man was very chuffed with his scones, whether he’ll make them again or not remains to be seen.. :)
Delicious Celia…I am on my own scone journey of discovery at the moment, I am going to try your recipe one of these days. How awesome that your son is scone making too, as Jan said teaching a man to fish is a great life skill.
Jane, I saw your gorgeous scones, they look very elegant!
I adore buttermilk scones. Just spent 5 months on Penang and my fave cafe chef would make them fresh every time we came in. The 20 min wait was worth it every time
Sara, how cool is that!! Scones made fresh from scratch whenever you walk into the cafe – that really is amazing service! :)
The regular buttermilk in supermarkets wouldn’t compare to Pepe Saya would it? It is so frustrating, the product is made half an hour away but I can’t buy it down here!
Rose, I’m sure it won’t be long! Maybe email them and ask them if they have a stockist down your way! x
They look delicious and I think we will have to make some this weekend. Miss 9yr old finally mastered gougeres so time to move on!
Gougeres! I haven’t made them for ages! :) Saw your folks yesterday! x
Bought the buttermilk so ready to go! Had scones this morning at a cafe called 10 Belles along with my flat white. Was with an Australian and we kept pretending we were in sunny Sinney!
I remember making scones for food tech in high school :) Turned out really good but haven’t made any since. I know exactly how small man felt cuz I was chuffed too. :D Cant wait to read more of your posts :)
mmmm such a nice post, thanks! They look great, and might be good for SconeFest if we have that competition again at work, for fun and fundraising! thanks and Happy Friday!
Heavenly – I LOVE scones – still use your sprite recipe a lot.
:-) Mandy xo
Teach a man to fish…. Or in this case make scones. They both look delicious. I will remember the no twist tip for my next batch.
up until recently i’d only ever made scones with buttermilk but i wanted to make some on a whim one day and i didn’t have any on hand so i winged it by adding lemon juice to milk..it worked so well that i doubt that i’ll ever bother with buttermilk again..x
Celi has been teaching me how to make kefir with grains I was bequeathed on Friday; and I now have enough milk to make your gorgeous scones……..tomorrow’s treat!