Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 120 g raspberry jam, thick, high fruit content
Dry Ingredients
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 15 g baking powder
- 3 g baking soda
- 3 g fine sea salt
Fat
- 115 g unsalted butter, frozen solid
Wet Ingredients
- 180 ml buttermilk, cold
- 1 large egg, cold
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 large egg
- 15 ml whole milk
- 15 g turbinado sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 379 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 56 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 16 g
- Sodium
- 499 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 73 mg
- Potassium
- 110 mg
- Calcium
- 156 mg
- Iron
- 1.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 16 mg
- Phosphorus
- 142 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 120 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.07 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.11 mg
- Niacin
- 0.7 mg
- Folate
- 20 mcg
- Water
- 39 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Portion 8 small dollops of jam onto a parchment-lined small plate. Freeze until solid, which takes about 1 hour. This prevents the jam from melting into the dough before baking.
Preheat your oven to 200C (400F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
Grate the frozen unsalted butter using a box grater directly into the dry ingredients. Toss lightly with your fingers to evenly distribute and coat the butter shards in flour.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the cold buttermilk, one large egg, and vanilla extract.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Stir gently with a fork until just combined and a shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it into a rectangle, fold it in half over itself, and gently pat down again to a 1.5 centimeter thickness. This simple lamination creates flaky layers.
Using a 6 centimeter biscuit cutter, punch out 16 dough rounds. Press straight down and pull straight up without twisting. Reroll the scraps once if necessary to get 16 rounds.
Place a frozen jam dollop in the center of 8 of the dough rounds. Top each with one of the remaining 8 rounds. Pinch the edges firmly together to seal the jam securely inside, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Whisk the topping egg and whole milk together. Using a pastry brush, glaze the tops of the stuffed scones, avoiding the sides. Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the scones are deeply golden brown on the top and bottom.
Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool slightly. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes so the molten jam center can set before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Freezing the jam dollops is the crucial secret to preventing the filling from absorbing into the raw dough or blowing out the sides during the oven spring.
- Grating frozen butter minimizes handling time and creates perfect little pockets of steam during baking, ensuring maximum lift and flakiness.
- Never twist your biscuit cutter. Pressing straight down and lifting straight up allows the edges of the scone to rise freely and evenly.
- If your kitchen is very warm, chill the cut dough rounds in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking to firm up the butter again.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent drying out.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze baked scones wrapped tightly. Thaw at room temperature.
Reheating: Warm in a 150C/300F oven for 5 to 8 minutes to revive the crust and soften the jam.
Troubleshooting
Jam leaks out violently during baking.
Cause: The edges were not crimped tightly enough, or the jam was not frozen solid prior to assembly.
Fix: Scrape any leaked jam back onto the scone while still warm, or accept the rustic appearance.
Prevention: Ensure the jam dollops are rock hard before use, and pinch the scone dough borders very firmly to seal.
Scones are tough, dense, and lack flakiness.
Cause: Dough was overworked, or the butter warmed up and melted into the flour before baking.
Fix: Cannot be fixed.
Prevention: Use frozen butter, handle the dough minimally, and work quickly to keep all ingredients cold.
Cultural Context
The scone has deep roots in Scottish, British, and Irish baking traditions, originally cooked on a griddle using oats. This modern iteration marries the tender, tangy profile of an American Southern buttermilk biscuit with the sweetness of a classic English afternoon tea treat.
