A scone is a baked goody with baking powder as a rising agent and egg washed traditionally right before baking for crispy and even cooking. They are slightly sweetened with a hint of sourness in them.
Scones are the main component of cream tea all around the world; they differ from cakes and sweets served with tea. While holding a difference in taste, crispiness, and creaminess, it can also be customized according to your taste.
Today, I’ll share with you a delicious recipe. This scone recipe is easy to make and consumes less time than most baking. However, making this my way requires an air fryer.
If you haven’t heard of this witchcraft appliance, then you are missing the magic. The air fryer makes the most scrumptious food (including baking too) by just using the high-heat circulation for cooking.
Every food that has been cooked in it has fully cooked insides but a crispy and crunchy layer outside. When I say baking is just a matter of time with an air fryer, you’ve either got to believe me or just try it yourself and satisfy your cravings.
- Cuisine: British
- Coarse: breakfast, appetizers, or main meal
- Rest time: 25-30 minutes
- Cooking time: 25 minutes
- Calories: 398
What Exactly Is An Air Fryer?
Air fryers are small(ish) kitchen gadgets that work similarly to convection ovens, but in a smaller, more concentrated space.
The air is circulated at a high temperature and uniformly around the food, allowing it to cook faster than in a traditional oven (saving energy) and providing a crispy coating without the use of a lot of oil and fat.
What goes first on a scone?
The jam goes first.
The only traditional way to eat a scone is to spread the jam first and then clotted cheese, it looks eye-pleasing and tastes balanced too. It is believed that putting the jam after the cheese will smother its creamy taste.
Also, there are two ways to assemble the scones. You cut the scone in half, then spread jam first and cheese afterward (the two halves are not put together again). The second way is to break the bite-sized scone part and slather the spreading on them one by one.
What is the difference between scones and biscuits?
The main difference between scones and other baked goods is the ingredient: eggs. The preparation, ingredient, and baking process of both are the same, but scones have eggs as an ingredient while biscuits don’t.
Scones are creamy but at the same time drier too; this is because they are made heavenly with heavy cream and eggs in their dough. However, the biscuits have more acidity and a buttery taste because of the buttercream and because there are no eggs added to them.
The eggs act as a binder for the ingredients and increase the richness of the food.
What is the secret to making good scones?
For making good-looking and tasty baked scones, you have to keep these tips at your fingertips, as they will be the key to the finger-licking scones.
- The flour and baking powder should be sieved into the bowl so that they can be mixed thoroughly without creating a mess.
- To make soft and flaky scones, mix the dough less. This way the gluten won’t tight up or else it leaves the dough stiffened and springy.
- Arrange your scone dough side by side so that they rise higher and evenly. Placing the dough side to side will force the scones to rise above.
Should you rest scone dough?
Absolutely yes.
The resting takes only 25–30 minutes (or overnight too), and there is a reason behind letting the dough rest for a while before kneading it. This step allows the dough to get the perfect rise and saturation while the gluten present in the dough loosens up.
Just like other doughs, including pizza dough, the resting phase will give the dough the chance to better shape itself so that it doesn’t tear while baking in the air fryer. The rested dough tastes better, is higher, and has perfectly baked edges.
How to make crispy air-fried scones?
Here is my recipe for making the best-tasting scones in an air fryer without any hassle.
Ingredients you need:
- All-purpose flour (some extra too for kneading)
- White sugar
- Milk
- Beaten eggs
- Baking powder
- Butter
- Salt
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, white sugar, salt, baking powder, and butter; mix the ingredients until they resemble crumbs.
- In another bowl, whisk eggs and milk together until form a batter, and gradually pour into the flour mixture while folding it each time. Let it rest for 20-25 minutes.
- On a lightly floured slab, turn the dough and knead it gently (only 5-6 turns). Roll out the dough with half an inch of thickness, then cut it into wedges.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 Fahrenheit or 200 degrees celsius for 2-3 minutes.
- Line the fryer basket with parchment paper and place the dough wedges into the prepared basket.
- Put the basket back into its place and let the scones cook for 15 minutes.
- When the edges are golden brown with a crispy texture, take out the scones and serve them immediately for the best taste.
How do I make my scones moister?
To make moist scones, use milk as a water substitute.
Scones are meant to be crunchy on the outside while having moist and soft insides; they shouldn’t be crumbly or dried. The water works well for combining the dough ingredients, but using the milk takes it to another level.
Using milk gives the scones a slight texture and taste shift, but not so much. You can use any kind of milk (i.e., buttermilk, oat milk, or plant-based milk) and use enough to form a soft dough and add it bit by bit as needed.
However, the dough would still have the flour dregs with some dried spots; knead the dough for 5 minutes and let it rest after this.
Are scones healthy?
Sadly NO, but sometimes munching on the delicacies comes with side effects. Scones are deliciously baked but they have an alarming amount of sugar and flour in them which makes the case worse.
It turns out that scones are majorly unhealthy for your heart and immune system. Fattening carbs are remarkably high, with almost 398 calories and 56g of sugar present in a 115-gram scone, and if you add add-ons, we are talking more than 800 calories in a single piece.
They may also contain some of the essential vitamins important for your body, so let’s look at the nutritional table for that:
| Content | Nutrition |
| Calories | 398 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 3.5 mg |
| Sodium | 582 mg |
| Potassium | 122 mg |
| Carbohydrate | 56 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
Scones do provide some vitamins, but having scones can be a nightmare for the gym enthusiast because the progress will be low in less than two weeks. So, as a gym rat and figure perfectionist, you might want to slow down a bit on the scones.
How do you reheat the scones in an air fryer?
Scones are served warm, but putting the leftovers in an airtight container might make them hard to chew. Here comes an air fryer to the rescue, it’s not only for baking but is also ideal for reviving the leftovers’ texture and appearance.
You simply place the leftover scones into the air fryer basket and set the temperature to 320 Fahrenheit or 160 Celsius degrees. Give it 3–4 minutes to reheat it to good as new.
What is the scone best served with?
Scones taste better with a typical combination of clotted cream and jam, but as a foodie, you may also need to change this combo now and then. Here are some of the tested and tasted pairings with the scones:
- Lemon curd
- Fresh cut foods
- Maple syrup
- Whipped cream
- Chocolate
- Sour cream or cream cheese
- Guacamole
Expert Tips
I have shared a few expert tips for your benefit.
- Use cold cubed butter straight from the refrigerator. You’ll end up with a sticky mess if you try to rub in soft, warm butter.
- Cold butter keeps the dough cool and provides the scones with the perfect flaky texture after baking.
- The dough can be rolled out without the need for a rolling pin. Simply form it into a disc using your hands.
- To ensure the scones rise, make sure your self-raising flour and baking powder are both up to date.
SUMMARY:
- Scones are flaky, crispier, flavorful, and moist while having crumbly edges.
- It can be customized to your liking or you can just change it a bit with add-ons like cheese, herbs, berries, or chocolate chips.
- Scones can be served at breakfast or on the table as appetizers.
- With the help of an air fryer, scones are made and served in just 20-25 minutes.
- Making them in a fryer gives the advantage of extra time, less energy, and fewer carbs too.