Why can't I make scones?

[flobadob]

Every time I try to make scones they never work. Firstly the don't rise and then they end up biscuity. Does anyone know any of the common mistakes that I could be making, or have any tips for me?

[Androcles]

Give us your recipe and method and let's see if there are any problems in there!

[flobadob]

I sieve 280g flour, 50g sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoon baking powder into a bowl. I mix in 75g butter with a fork til its all powdery. I beat an egg and add 120ml butter milk. I put that into the flour and mix. I put it all out onto a floured surface and roll in and cut it with a 2in. cutter and put them onto a baking tray with parchment paper. I put them on the middle tray of oven at gas 5. And hey presto, cra*py scones.

[Androcles]

The only things I would comment on are:
1. Do you use self rasing flour - a lot of resipes use SRF and a small amount of Baking powder.
2. Do you sieve the flour and Baking powder?
3. Are you over- mixing the butter in - crumbly rather than powdery?
4. A lot of recipes don't put egg in.
5. A lot of recipes cook at 220degrees i.e. gas mark 7 rather than 5.

Example :

Ingredients
400g (14 oz) plain flour
100g (3 3/4 oz) caster sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
3/4 tsp salt
175g (6 oz) soft butter
250ml (8 fl oz) buttermilk
Preparation method
1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (Gas Mark 7).
2. Sift dry ingredients in a bowl. Add room temperature butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a fork until the mixture resembles dry breadcrumbs. Add buttermilk and mix. The dough will be a bit moist. Roll half the dough into a ball and flatten on floured surface. Cut into six pieces with a scone cutter or simply cut into wedges. Repeat with the remaining dough.
3. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. You can brush buttermilk on top and sprinkle with sugar before baking if desired.

[Pea Pod]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/..._67262.shtml.....This is delias recipe.

[Pea Pod]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...ttermilks_67262.shtml

[flobadob]

Androcles, I'll try your method. One question, how high should the scone be, before it goes into the oven. I think I'm using a 2inch approx cutter, but how high should the dough be. Also thanks for the links I'll check em out.

[coriander2]

These by Rachelle Allen are the best I have eve made.

http://www.lifestylef...78/light-sweet-scones

[tamborine]

use this - you can't go wrong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gvAn-fBIk

[Tallulah!]

I buy Morrisons Best Scones these days. Why bother making them when these are so scrumptious.
I do have a Book of Cake Recipes by Delia Smith and her scones always turned out perfectly.
It may be your oven so you could try a lower heat or you may not be cutting the pastry big enough.
Also use Flora instead of butter. It's easier to mix.

[Kim A]

The trick to a big fat well risen scone is not to shilly-shally about once the liquid goes into the dry mixture. Once the wet hits the dry, as it were, the raising agent starts to work and to produce carbon dioxide (which gets trapped in the dough and causes the 'rise'). If you fanny about too long patting the dough out and trying to get perfection, the poor old raising agent will have already done its stuff before the dough goes into the oven. Just have the tray ready, the oven very hot and the work surface flour dusted. Weigh out your dry ingredients, slosh in your wet ones, quick stir to get it to a doughy ball, tip it out onto worksurface, quick pat down to about 2cm, stamp, stamp, stamp with cutter, slap onto baking sheet, slam in oven. 12 minutes. Big fat scones. xx

[woozer]

and dont twist the cutter in the dough - this squidges the sides of the dough and forms a sort of belt that stops the dough rising - just a straight down and up with the cutter helps