Scone Recipes Collection | What's Cooking America (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between American scones and British scones? ›

American scones use much more butter than British scones, and they usually have quite a bit more sugar. The extra butter is what makes them so much denser. This is not really a good or bad thing, as British scones pile on plenty of sugar (in the form of preserves/jam) and butter or clotted cream as toppings.

If you go into an American bakery and ask for a “scone”, you'll get a sweet, fluffy, usually triangular bread product, often with some form of berry baked in. If you go into an American restaurant and order a “biscuit”, you will get a fluffy, savory bread product that you might categorize as a “scone”.

A Food Standards Agency (FSA) report has found that the average scone contains 408 calories, with the best – sorry, most fattening – clocking up a remarkable 756 calories and 39.2g of sugar. Add jam and cream to the largest scone tested, and you are talking more than 900 calories.

"Scones are typically made using a quick bread method with a higher ratio of liquid to flour, and sometimes no butter at all," says Snyder. In contrast, biscuits have a high ratio of butter, and the lamination process needed to achieve flaky layers is a key differentiator to scones.

Baking tips for making the perfect scones

The colder the better when it comes to scones, we recommend a chilled bowl and pastry cutter too. Use pastry flour: This will create a noticeably lighter scone. However, self-raising flour works just as well and creates a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely.

Don't overbake! If you bake scones too long, they'll dry out, so keep an eye on them through the oven window. (Don't open the oven to look — it'll let out the heat.) “Bake your scones until they are just golden brown,” Bethany recommends.

A Biscuit (U.S.) Is a Scone (U.K.)

The closest British equivalent to those buttery miracles is a scone, which ain't too bad either. Both baked goodies use flour, fat, liquid and a leavening agent.

Those who rhyme it with gone predominate in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England. Those who rhyme with cone dominate in southern Ireland and the Midlands. The rest of the country is a mixture of the two pronunciations.

Southerners made their scones with easily available buttermilk, lard, and low-protein soft wheat. This yielded a lighter, fluffier bread that became known as a biscuit.

A plain croissant is really your best bet, ranging from 240 to 350 calories. As for muffins and scones, they start in the 400-calorie range. A Panera Cinnamon Chip Scone has 570 calories, and a Dunkin' Donuts Honey Bran Raisin Muffin has 480.

Are scones bad for diabetics? ›

Low in sugar and high in fibre, wholemeal scones are good options for diabetics. Incorporating yoghurt and fruits is a good option to make desserts for diabetics.

The ideal temperature for serving scones is around 180-190 degrees Fahrenheit (82-88 degrees Celsius). This temperature will ensure that the scones are warm and the butter in them is melted, which will enhance the flavor and texture. Scones are best when they're served at room temperature.

Just as in old times, today's scone recipes don't include eggs, but there are some rare recipes that do. Eggs may change the texture of the scone, which should be golden on the outside and airy inside.

What is an American biscuit in the UK? The last piece of the puzzle, an American biscuit is a crumbly leavened quick bread similar to what we call a scone in the UK.

British scones are traditionally drier, lighter, plain in flavor, and significantly less sugary than American scones and are commonly served for breakfast or with afternoon tea as a bready snack. America's Test Kitchen claims that butter is one of the major differences between English and American scones.

But what, exactly, is the difference between a biscuit and a scone? If you're in the U.S., a biscuit is a round, flaky, buttery piece of leavened bread. In the U.K. a biscuit is a crisp cookie often enjoyed at tea time. A scone is a quick bread that is denser than a biscuit and can be either savory or sweet.

What's the Main Difference? The biscuit and scone share British heritage, quick bread status, and the basic foundation of flour, fat, and liquid. But as they evolved to what they are today, scone recipes use eggs, and biscuit recipes do not.

While quite similar, what distinguishes Irish scones from English scones is that they typically contain a bit less sugar. They're also made with less leavener, so they're slightly flatter and smaller. It's important to note that no two Irish families make their scones the same way.