Enjoy this easy-to-make Sultana Scones Recipe for the quintessentially perfect afternoon treat. Golden, fluffy, buttery, and filled with sweet sultanas, these fruit scones are exactly what you want from a scone recipe.
Walk into any tearoom in Britain and you'll enjoy a cup of tea alongside delicious scones dolloped with cream, jam, or slathered in butter for your afternoon tea. Traditional, nostalgic, comforting - you can't beat a scone cream tea!
Check out my Classic Scone Recipe where I deep dive into all things scones. It's the perfect base to create your favourite scone recipe. My Chocolate Chip Scones and Cherry Scones are brilliant alternatives to today's fruit scone recipe!
Today's recipe for Sultana Scones delivers scones with a buttery taste that are filled with juicy sultanas dotted throughout that add perfect little pops of sweetness.
I've spent the past couple of years perfecting my scones recipe and created one that is foolproof. The result is scones with the perfect soft fluffy interior that flakes when you pull the scone apart. You don't want it to be cake or chewy.
I add an extra lil' technique in the method to guarantee that flakiness! It's simple, I promise! I also share other tips to guarantee your scones rise to lofty perfection.
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Uses basic ingredients. This recipe for sultana scones uses basic pantry or fridge staples. You can make this at the last minute no problem!
- Budget Friendly. No fancy ingredients are needed here. I give you substitution ideas if you don't have an ingredient on hand.
- Simple to make. Making scones couldn't be easier. with a little extra tip from me, I'll show you how to guarantee that flakey interior.
- Perfect flavour. Scones should be lightly sweetened with a buttery flavour with a texture that melts in your mouth. The touch of cinnamon (optional!) adds the perfect warmth.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Whilst this recipe for fruit scones uses a simple ingredient list, there are a few points worth noting. Have a read below.
- Butter - This needs to be cold to ensure the flaky layers. Cube it as small as you can- makes it way easier to rub into the flour.
- Self-raising flour. Widely available here in the UK, this flour ensures the rise we expect in the scones (as SR flour has lots of baking powder in it. Check out my FAQ section below if you need to make your own SR Flour. It's easy - promise!
- Baking powder - yes, the scones need a little extra help to give them that rise.
- Whole milk - the milk helps bind the ingredients together. But you can sub with cream, buttermilk, sour cream or yogurt. Like the butter, it should be cold!
- Egg - I use a large egg as it helps bind the ingredients but also adds richness to the flavour of the scones.
- Sugar and salt - Don't omit these two ingredients. You may not need much of either but leave them out and you'll have really bland scones. They layer the flavour!
- Ground cinnamon and vanilla extract - technically not essential ingredients when making scones but I love any excuse to add to the flavour profile. You can omit these if you prefer though.
- Sultanas - the most important ingredient! Sultanas are larger, plumper, and juicier than raisins and work beautifully in baked goods for that reason. You can sub for raisins if needed. (In the US sultanas are called golden raisins.)
📖 Variations
Once you've perfected your scone base recipe, you can start swapping out ingredients to create your own flavourful scone. So many options. Here are some ideas:
- Wholemeal scones: Swap out the self-raising flour with wholemeal flour. Just add an extra 3.5 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Orange Scones: Add orange zest and a teaspoon of orange blossom water into the dough for citrusy magic. Or try out my Cranberry Orange Scones.
- Gingerbread Scones: Add a teaspoon of ground ginger, cinnamon, and half a teaspoon of nutmeg into the flour. Then add 1 tablespoon of molasses to the egg mixture. Your scones will have that perfect Christmassy vibe.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Sultana Scones
Let's deep dive into making these scones with sultanas. I can't wait for you to see how simple it is.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
STEP 1. Sift dry ingredients together. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in the sugar and cinnamon and stir together (Image 1).
STEP 2. Whisk wet ingredients together. Whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla extract, and whisk together (Image 2). Put one tablespoon of the egg mixture to one side- this will be your egg wash for later.
STEP 3. Add butter to flour, then add sultanas. Add the chopped cold butter and using your fingertips, toss the pieces until they're separated and coated with flour.
Using your fingertips, rub the flour and butter together until the majority looks like breadcrumbs but some pieces are the size of peas (Images 3 & 4). (Alternatively, use a pastry cutter). Add in the sultans and mix in (Image 5).
TIP: Having larger butter pieces in the dough helps create the flaky layers in the scone dough.
STEP 4. Combine wet with the dry ingredients. Make a well in the dry mix and pour the whisked egg/milk mixture into the centre (Image 6). Using a fork, stir together (Image 7).
It'll still be very shaggy at this point and feel quite sticky. If necessary, use your hands to lightly bring it all together incorporating the dry flour left at the bottom of the bowl.
TIP: The milk and butter have to be cold
Refrigerate measured ingredients for half an hour before continuing on with the recipe if needs be. If you have warm hands, run them under cold water to cool them down before starting the recipe.
STEP 5. Bring the dough together and roll it out. Tip the scones mix onto a lightly floured surface (Image 8). Using your hands, bring it together and gently flatten it out.
Cut the dough disc into four (Image 9). Lay one quarter onto another and press together (Image 10). Repeat with the other two quarters (Image 11). Doing this creates amazing flakey layers in the scones and prevents over-kneading.
TIP: I prefer this method over kneading the dough as kneading it can activate the gluten and lead to tougher scones. Doing this layering trick creates amazing flakey layers in the scones and prevents over-kneading.
STEP 6: Cut out the scones. Press the dough into a disc or use a lightly floured rolling pin if you prefer. The dough should be roughly 3 cm (1 inch) thick (Image 12).
Dip a 6 cm (2 1⁄4-inch) cookie cutter in flour and stamp out rounds (Image 13). Ensure you don’t twist the cutter when pressing down. Bring together the remaining dough and stamp out more sultana scones.
TIP: Dipping the cookie cutter in flour will help cut out the scones without sticking.
STEP 7: Refrigerate and bake. Place the scones on the prepared baking tray so that they are just touching each other.
Refrigerate the scones for 30 minutes. Ultimately this is an optional step - but I find it helps the gluten in the flour to relax and the butter to harden and helps with the soft interior crumb. You can preheat the oven whilst they are chilling
Just before baking, brush the tops of each scone with the leftover egg/milk mixture (Image 14). Take care not to let any drip down the sides of the scones, as this can inhibit their rise. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and well risen.
🥣 How To Serve
Serve scones with cream and jam (how I like it) or jam then cream. The debate rages on in the UK as to which goes first! I say go for it; however, your preference lies - let's be honest- they taste exactly the same!
To change things up, scones are delightful when served with other types of condiments such as lemon curd, blackberry jam and even a pear & ginger compote.
💭 Recipe Pro Tips
- Cold Ingredients. Cold butter, milk, and the egg are key to a tender interior crumb
- Don't overwork the dough. Rather than kneading the dough, simply press it together and use my simple layering trick for flakey, soft scones.
- Don't twist the cookie cutter. Stamp the dough with the cookie cutter in one simple decisive motion. Twisting it will only make the layers stick together which inhibits the rise.
- Flour the cookie cutter as you go. This stops the dough from sticking to it.
📋 Recipe FAQs
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. Continue as per the recipe instructions and the other ingredients, including the stated baking powder.
Check that your baking powder is not out of date. Use cold ingredients and keep the handling of the dough to a minimum.
❄️ Storage and Freezer Instructions
To store: Scones are best served fresh and slightly warm. To store them, wrap them in plastic wrap or place them in a ziplock bag to prevent them from drying out and retaining their moisture. Leave at room temperature. They should last 1 to 2 days.
To freeze: Once baked scones are cooled, wrap them immediately in plastic wrap or place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and reheat in the oven or microwave.
🥐 More Snack Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Easy Sultana Scone Recipe
Ingredients
- 375 g self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 12 g caster sugar
- 180 ml whole milk, cold
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 90 g unsalted butter, chopped, cold
- 100 g sultanas
Instructions
- Sift dry ingredients together. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Into a large mixing bowl, sift in your dry ingredients; flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the sugar and stir together.
- Whisk wet ingredients together. Whisk together the egg in with the milk and vanilla extract. Once whisked, set aside one tablespoon of the egg mixture use as your egg wash later on.
- Add butter to flour. Add the chopped butter and using your fingertips, toss the pieces until they're separated and coated with flour. Using your fingertips, rub the flour and butter together until it looks like breadcrumbs with some larger pieces the size of peas. (Alternatively, use a pastry cutter). Add in the sultanas and mix in.
- Combine wet into the dry ingredients. Make a well in the dry mix and pour in the whisked egg and milk mixture into the centre. Use a fork to stir until the mixture just starts to come together to form a dough. It will still be very shaggy and sticky at this point. If necessary, use your hands to lightly bring it all together incorporating the dry flour left at the bottom of the bowl.
- Bring the dough together and roll it out. Tip the scone mix onto a lightly floured surface and using your hands, bring it together and gently flatten it out. Cut the dough disc into four. Lay one quarter on top of another and press together. Repeat with the other two quarters. Doing this creates amazing flakey layers in the scones and prevents over-kneading. Using your hands, shape and press the dough into a round disc or gently roll with a rolling pin until the dough is roughly 3 cm (1 inch) thick.
- Cut out scone rounds. Dip a 6 cm (2 1⁄4-inch) cookie cutter in flour and stamp out 4 or 5 rounds. Don’t twist the cutter when pressing down. Place the scones on the prepared baking tray so they're just touching each other.
- Cut scones from the remaining dough and bake. Gather any scraps and push them together with your hands until another disc is formed. Cut out as many rounds as you can with this leftover dough. Note, that they won't rise quite as much as the first round, as you’ve worked the dough more than the first scones. Place on the baking tray with the others. Now refrigerate the tray for 30 minutes to rest the dough. Pre-heat oven to 200°C (400°F) whilst the scones are in the fridge.
- Egg wash and bake. Using the egg wash that you set aside earlier, brush the tops of the scones. Take care not to let any drip down the sides of the scones as this can inhibit their rise. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and well risen. Serve scones warm with cream and jam or butter. They are best eaten the day they are made.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
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