Scones (Vegan)
Ingredients:
- 300 g (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 9.3 g (2 tsp) baking powder
- 2.3 g (½ tsp) baking soda
- 3 g (½ tsp) salt
- 25 g (2 tbsp) sugar
- 80 g (2.8 oz) cold vegan butter
- 180 ml (¾ cup) cold non-dairy milk
- 5 ml (1 tsp) apple cider vinegar
- 4.3 g (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 80 g (½ cup) dried currants or raisins
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) non-dairy milk
- 5 ml (1 tsp) maple syrup
- Vegan clotted cream or coconut cream
- Strawberry jam
Equipments:
Features:
Soy-Free
Nut-Free
Nutrition:
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Keep the vegan buttermilk cold as it curdles, and pop it back in the fridge if your kitchen is warm — cold butter and cold liquid are what keep scone dough from spreading flat instead of rising tall and flaky.
Instructions:
- Make the vegan buttermilk: Combine the cold non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small jug. Stir and set aside for 5 minutes until it curdles slightly into a buttermilk substitute. Keep it cold — put it back in the fridge if your kitchen is warm.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Cut in the cold butter: Add the cold cubed vegan butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, quickly rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. Work fast — the butter must stay cold. Those visible butter pieces are what create flaky, layered scones. If the butter starts to feel soft and greasy, refrigerate the bowl for 10 minutes before continuing.
- Add the wet ingredients: Add the vanilla extract to the cold buttermilk. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Add the currants. Using a fork or your hands, mix until the dough just comes together — it should be shaggy, slightly sticky, and have a few dry streaks. Do not overmix. Overworked scone dough develops gluten and produces tough, dense scones.
- Shape the scones: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat and fold it over itself 2–3 times — this creates layers without overworking the gluten. Pat into a circle or rectangle about 3–4 cm thick. Using a sharp 6–7 cm round cutter, press straight down without twisting — twisting seals the edges and prevents the scones from rising properly. Gather the scraps, pat together once more, and cut remaining scones. You should get 8.
- Chill before baking: Place the cut scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 3 cm apart. Refrigerate for 15–20 minutes. This firms up the butter again after handling, which is the key to scones that rise tall with flaky layers rather than spreading flat.
- Glaze and bake: Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Mix the non-dairy milk and maple syrup and brush generously over the tops of the chilled scones — don’t let the glaze drip down the sides as this inhibits rising. Bake for 16–18 minutes until risen, deeply golden on top, and the sides are set. They should look almost overdone on the outside — that’s correct.
- Cool and serve: Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Split open and serve warm with vegan clotted cream or coconut cream and strawberry jam.
Notes: Three rules for perfect scones every time: keep everything cold, don't overmix, and chill the cut scones before baking. Cold butter creates steam in the oven which separates the layers. Overmixed dough develops gluten and produces dense, tough scones. Chilling before baking firms up the butter so the scones rise up rather than spread out. Don't twist the cutter — pressing straight down is the difference between a scone that rises in a dramatic crown and one that bakes flat.
Storage: Best eaten on the day they're baked. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. To refresh, warm in a 180°C oven for 5 minutes or slice in half and toast cut-side down in a dry pan. Freeze baked scones for up to 1 month — reheat from frozen at 180°C for 12-15 minutes. Unbaked cut scones freeze even better — bake from frozen at 220°C for 22-24 minutes.
Variations: For lemon and blueberry, add 1 tsp lemon zest to the dry ingredients and fold in 80 g fresh blueberries instead of currants. For chocolate chip, replace currants with 80 g dairy-free chocolate chips and add an extra tbsp of sugar. For a savoury cheese and chive version, omit the sugar, currants, and vanilla, then add 60 g grated vegan cheddar and 2 tbsp fresh chives to the dough, topping with extra cheese before baking. For cranberry and orange, use dried cranberries and add 1 tsp orange zest to the dough.
Serving Suggestions: Serve the classic British way: split warm scones and layer with vegan clotted cream (or thick coconut cream) and strawberry jam. Also excellent with vegan butter and a cup of Earl Grey tea.
A few ingredients do most of the work in this recipe. The all-purpose flour provides structure and body to the finished dish. The baking powder provides lift so the texture stays light rather than dense. The baking soda provides lift so the texture stays light rather than dense. The salt sharpens and balances every other flavor in the dish.
Scones (Vegan)
Ingredients:
- 300 g (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 9.3 g (2 tsp) baking powder
- 2.3 g (½ tsp) baking soda
- 3 g (½ tsp) salt
- 25 g (2 tbsp) sugar
- 80 g (2.8 oz) cold vegan butter
- 180 ml (¾ cup) cold non-dairy milk
- 5 ml (1 tsp) apple cider vinegar
- 4.3 g (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 80 g (½ cup) dried currants or raisins
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) non-dairy milk
- 5 ml (1 tsp) maple syrup
- Vegan clotted cream or coconut cream
- Strawberry jam
Why These Ingredients:
A few ingredients do most of the work in this recipe. The all-purpose flour provides structure and body to the finished dish. The baking powder provides lift so the texture stays light rather than dense. The baking soda provides lift so the texture stays light rather than dense. The salt sharpens and balances every other flavor in the dish.
Prep:
Keep the vegan buttermilk cold as it curdles, and pop it back in the fridge if your kitchen is warm — cold butter and cold liquid are what keep scone dough from spreading flat instead of rising tall and flaky.
Instructions:
- Make the vegan buttermilk: Combine the cold non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small jug. Stir and set aside for 5 minutes until it curdles slightly into a buttermilk substitute. Keep it cold — put it back in the fridge if your kitchen is warm.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Cut in the cold butter: Add the cold cubed vegan butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, quickly rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. Work fast — the butter must stay cold. Those visible butter pieces are what create flaky, layered scones. If the butter starts to feel soft and greasy, refrigerate the bowl for 10 minutes before continuing.
- Add the wet ingredients: Add the vanilla extract to the cold buttermilk. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Add the currants. Using a fork or your hands, mix until the dough just comes together — it should be shaggy, slightly sticky, and have a few dry streaks. Do not overmix. Overworked scone dough develops gluten and produces tough, dense scones.
- Shape the scones: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat and fold it over itself 2–3 times — this creates layers without overworking the gluten. Pat into a circle or rectangle about 3–4 cm thick. Using a sharp 6–7 cm round cutter, press straight down without twisting — twisting seals the edges and prevents the scones from rising properly. Gather the scraps, pat together once more, and cut remaining scones. You should get 8.
- Chill before baking: Place the cut scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 3 cm apart. Refrigerate for 15–20 minutes. This firms up the butter again after handling, which is the key to scones that rise tall with flaky layers rather than spreading flat.
- Glaze and bake: Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Mix the non-dairy milk and maple syrup and brush generously over the tops of the chilled scones — don’t let the glaze drip down the sides as this inhibits rising. Bake for 16–18 minutes until risen, deeply golden on top, and the sides are set. They should look almost overdone on the outside — that’s correct.
- Cool and serve: Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Split open and serve warm with vegan clotted cream or coconut cream and strawberry jam.
