Currant Scones

My favourite way to make a classic currant scone

Scones tend to stir up strong opinions, especially when the biscuit versus scone conversation comes up. This is just my favourite way to make and eat a scone. I already have a couple of scone recipes on Substack, but lately I have been on a mission to get a classic currant scone just right, the kind filled with currants. I wanted one that was sturdy enough to hold butter and jam (my favourite way to eat them) but still soft and tender on the inside. I’ve used sour cream in this recipe because I really enjoy the richness it adds, but swapping it for buttermilk works beautifully too — I do this quite often because I love the flavour of buttermilk. One thing I have learned is that the dough needs a little more handling than you might expect. Not kneaded like bread, but just enough so everything comes together and there are no dry bits of flour left. The end result is a scone that’s soft, flavourful, and made for enjoying straight from the oven with whatever topping you love most

Yield = 6-8 scones

Ingredients

• 340 g all-purpose flour

• 6 g baking powder

• 4 g baking soda

• 50 g granulated sugar

• 5 g salt

• 120 g unsalted butter, very cold

• 100 ml whole milk

• 80 g sour cream

• 65 g currants

• 1 egg (egg wash)

Instructions

1. Prep
   Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.
   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter it.

2. Mix dry ingredients
   In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Cut in the butter
   Add the cold butter and cut it into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with plenty of pea-sized pieces of butter.

4. Add the currants
   Toss the currants through the flour mixture so they are evenly coated.

5. Add liquids
   In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream.
   Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and gently fold just until the dough comes together.
   The dough should feel soft and cohesive, not sticky.

6. Shape
   Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a rectangle. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the rectangle into thirds. Stack the pieces directly on top of each other to create layers.

   Gently roll the stacked dough out until it is about 1.5 inches thick. Using a round cookie cutter, press straight down to cut out the scones. Do not twist the cutter.

   Gather the scraps, gently press them together without kneading, roll out again, and cut more scones until most of the dough is used.

7. Finish
   Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them slightly apart. Whisk 1 egg to make egg wash. Brush the tops with egg wash.

8. Bake
   Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until tall, golden, and set.
   Cool slightly before serving.