Mary Berry Scones Collection

With so much interest in Mary Berry scones, I thought it would be useful to put together a collection of Mary Berry Scones recipes for some of her most popular bakes.

Humble but delicious plain scones or cheese-and-garlic tear-and-share scones for family and friends and drop scones you’ll find something here I’m sure.

The best secret of good scones is not to handle them too much before baking and to make the mixture on the wet, sticky side.

Either eat scones on the day of making or freeze once they have completely cooled.

Skill Required : Rubbing In

One skill you will need for making scones is Rubbing In. This video shows how.

Mary Berry Scones: Jam and cream

Mary loves large scones with clotted cream and jam. But for a tea time with a selection of cakes and sandwiches you can divide this mixture up into individual smaller scones which are daintier to eat.

Equipment and preparation: you will need two lightly-greased baking trays and a 4cm/1½in round pastry cutter.

Ingredients

• 250g/9oz self-raising flour
• 1 rounded tsp baking powder
• 40g/1½oz softened butter
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• 1 large free-range egg
• about 100ml/3½fl oz milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7 (200C Fan).
2. Put the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
3. Beat the egg in a measuring jug. Make up to 100ml/3½fl oz with the milk, then set aside a tablespoon for glazing the scones later.
4. Gradually add the egg and milk to the dry ingredients, stirring it in until you have a soft slightly sticky dough
5. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and pat out until it is about 2cm/¾in thick. Use a 4cm/1½in fluted cutter to stamp out the scones. Make sure you don’t twist the cutter or the scones will not rise evenly.
6. Gently gather the trimmings together and pat out again to cut more scones
7. Arrange the scones on the greased baking trays and brush the tops with the remaining milk.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until well risen and golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
9. To serve, cut each scone in half and top with strawberry jam and clotted or whipped cream.

Recipe Tips

Once the scones are cool, they can be frozen. To eat, defrost at room temperature and then reheat in a hot oven for 10 minutes. The scone dough should be slightly sticky to give the best results. Don’t over handle the dough or it will be tough and don’t be tempted to roll it out too thinly or you won’t get good deep scones. For larger 5cm/2in scones, bake for 10-12 minutes.

Mary Berry Scones: Cheese scones

These are delicious cold but even better warm, cut in half, with lashings of butter and chilli jam.

Ingredients

• 225g / 8oz self-raising flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp mustard powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 25g / 1oz. butter
• 150g / 5oz. grated mature cheddar cheese
• 1 large egg
• a little milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas 7.
2. Lightly grease a baking tray
3. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, mustard powder, cayenne pepper and baking powder together
4. Add the butter and rub in with your fingers till it resembles bread crumbs
5. Stir in 100g/4oz (two-thirds) of the cheese
6. In a measuring jug, crack the egg and add milk till you reach the ¼ pint mark and whisk till combined
7. Stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix to a soft but not sticky dough
8. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly
9. Roll out into a 5cm / 6in circle
10. Using a circle cookie cutter cut out rounds
11. Brush the top with a little milk and sprinkle the leftover cheese over the top of the scones
12. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops of the scones are nice and golden brown
13. Slide onto a wire rack and cool
14. Eat as fresh as possible

Mary Berry Scones: Cheese and garlic tear-and-share scones

These Mary Berry cheese scones with garlic are for “tearing and sharing”. They will serves 10–12 and can be can be prepared up to a day ahead. They can be frozen if desired.

Ingredients

• 450g (1lb) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 100g (4oz) butter, cubed
• 50g (2oz) parmesan cheese, finely grated, plus extra for sprinkling
• 100g (4oz) mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 6 tbsp finely snipped chives
• 2 eggs
• about 150ml (5fl oz) milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7 and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Measure the flour and baking powder into a large bowl with the mustard, salt and butter. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add both cheeses with the garlic and chives.
3. Beat the eggs in a jug, adding enough milk to make up to 300ml (10fl oz) of liquid. Gradually add this to the mixture in the bowl and mix together to make a dough (see tip). Tip on to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, then divide into 22 equal-sized balls.
4. Arrange the balls of dough on the prepared baking sheet to form a round with all the balls just touching. Brush with any leftover liquid in the jug and sprinkle with the extra Parmesan.
5. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until well risen and golden on top and underneath. Serve warm with butter.

Mary’s foolproof tip:

A scone dough should be fairly sticky rather than dry. If it is on the wet side, it gives a better rise and the resulting scones are very moist.

Mary Berry Scones: Classic fruit scones

Ingredients

• 75g (2 1⁄2 oz) butter, chilled and cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
• 350g (12oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
• 30g (1oz) caster sugar
• 75g (2 1⁄2oz) sultanas
• About 150ml (5fl oz) milk
• 2 large eggs, beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C/425°F/Gas 7). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. Put the flour and baking powder into a large chilled mixing bowl. Add the cubes of butter, keeping all the ingredients as cold as possible.
3. Rub in lightly and quickly with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and sultanas.
4. Pour 100ml (31⁄2fl oz) of the milk and all but 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg into the flour mixture.
5. Mix together with a round-bladed knife to a soft, but not too sticky dough, adding a bit more milk if needed to mop up any dry bits of mixture in the bottom of the bowl.
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, lightly knead just a few times only until gathered together, then gently roll and pat out to form a rectangle about 2cm (3⁄4in) deep.
7. Cut out as many rounds as possible from the first rolling with a 6cm (21⁄2in) cutter (a plain cutter is easier to use than a fluted one) and lay them on the baking sheet, spaced slightly apart.
8. Gather the trimmings, then roll and cut out again. Repeat until you have 10 scones.
9. Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved egg. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until risen and golden.
10. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Mary Berry Scones: Tips for great scones

• My favourite way to serve scones is split open, rather than sandwiched together. That way, you get lots of jam and cream.
• They’re best served warm, or make them ahead and reheat in a low oven.
• For plain scones, simply omit the sultanas.
• Scones need a light touch or they can become tough and heavy, so handle them as little as possible.
• Roll them out quite thickly to start with; they never rise as much as you think they will.
• As the dough is quite deep, dip the cutter in flour before cutting out each scone to prevent the dough from sticking to it.

Mary Berry Scones: Buttermilk scones (with West Country Clotted Cream)

Buttermilk gives a lovely, light texture to these scones. Omit the sultanas if you prefer plain scones.

Ingredients

• 450g (1lb) self-raising flour
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
• 75g (3oz) butter, cubed
• 75g (3oz) caster sugar
• 100g (4oz) sultanas
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 × 284ml carton buttermilk

To serve

• cream
• jam

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. Measure the flour, baking powder and butter into a bowl. Rub with your fingertips until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and sultanas or do this in a food processor.
3. Mix the eggs and buttermilk together in a jug and pour all but 1 tablespoon into the flour bowl and lightly mix together until combined – it should be a fairly moist dough.
4. Lightly sprinkle the worktop with flour and gently knead the dough until smooth and soft. Roll to about 2.5cm (1in) thick. Using a 6cm (2½ in) round fluted scone cutter, stamp out 12 scones.
5. Arrange the scones on the baking sheet and brush the tops with the reserved egg and milk mixture.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes until risen and lightly golden.

Tips:

PREPARE AHEAD: These are best made on the day, but they can also be made up to a day ahead and reheated.

FREEZE: They freeze well cooked.

AGA: Bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold sheet on the second set of runners for about 12 minutes.

Mary Berry Scones: Devonshire scones (with Clotted Cream)

Ingredients

• 450g (1 lb) self-raising flour
• 2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
• 75g (3 oz) butter, at room temperature
• 50g (2 oz) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• about 225 ml (8 fl oz) milk

 Method

1. Lightly grease two baking trays. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7.
2. Measure the flour and baking powder into a processor. Add the butter and process until a crumble, then add the sugar. Or make by hand by rubbing the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
3. Beat the eggs together until blended and make up to a generous 300ml (1/2 pint) with the milk, then put about 2 tablespoons of the egg/milk aside in a cup for glazing the scones later. Gradually add the egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients until you have a soft dough. It is far better that the scone mixture is on the wet side, sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten it out with your hand, or use a rolling pin, to a thickness of 1-2 cm (1/2 – ¾ inch). Use a 5 cm (2 inch) fluted cutter to stamp out the dough by pushing the cutter straight down into the dough (as opposed to twisting the cutter) then lift it straight out. This ensures that the scones will rise evenly and keep their shape. Gently push the remaining dough together, knead very lightly then re-roll and cut more scones out as before.
5. Arrange the scones on the prepared baking trays and brush the tops with the reserved beaten egg/milk mixture to glaze. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the scones are well risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack, covered with a clean tea towel to keep them moist. Serve as fresh as possible, cut in half and spread generously with strawberry jam and top with a good spoonful of thick cream.

Mary Berry Scones: Drop scones or Scotch Pancakes

Ingredients

• 300g self-raising flour
• 1½ tsps. baking powder
• 60g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200ml milk
• 2 tbsps. vegetable oil

Method

1. Sieve your dry ingredients into a large jug and then add the egg and milk.
2. Whisk well until a thick batter is created. (You may need to add a little bit more milk if the consistency isn’t what you think it should be.)
3. Put a griddle pan or a large frying pan on a low to medium heat and then add a very small amount of butter.
4. Once the butter is melted pour a few tbsps. of batter onto the griddle, but try to pour it on one spot so you get a perfect circle of batter. If you’ve got a large enough griddle you can pour more pancakes to cook at the same time, but if not then just cook them one by one.
5. Let your pancake cook for a while. When bubbles begin to appear on the top of the pancakes you can flip them over to cook the other side.
6. When your pancakes are light golden brown and springy to the touch they’re ready.
7. Spread with generous quantities of real butter and jam and enjoy while still slightly warm.