Mary Berry Cheese Scones Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Mary Berry's cheese scones? ›

Keep the dough cool: As previously mentioned, it's crucial to keep the dough cold so that the butter doesn't melt before the scones are baked. With chilled dough, you'll have pockets of butter in the dough (this is a good thing!) that create a super-flaky, oh-so-delicious end result.

My scones have a dense, heavy texture and poor volume

You may have used too little raising agent or over handled the dough before it was baked. The oven may have been too cool.

For example, if you substitute oil for butter or margarine, you can significantly reduce the amount of saturated fat in your baked goods. This streamlined recipe for Light Scones uses just 3 tablespoons of canola oil, which contains a fraction of the saturated fat found in butter or margarine.

In general, scones should be baked at a higher temperature than most other pastries. Using too low of a temperature will prevent the scones from rising. If the recipe called for a lower temperature, try baking the scones at 400°F (205°C) next time, and see if that helps.

The secret is using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. It's lower in protein and makes for ultra-tender scones. If you don't have any on hand, you can easily make your own using all-purpose flour and cornstarch (see the FAQs below).

Not chilling the dough before baking: to really ace your scones, it helps to chill your dough again before it's baked. Using cold ingredients does help, but your hands will warm up the dough when you're working with it and the extra step of chilling will help you get the best result.

The resting of the dough helps to relax the dough so everything remains tender, if you kneaded the dough and baked the scones immediately the insides would be great but the outsides would be tough and chewy.

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

Why are my cheese scones GREY inside? ›

The grey in the middle is where the dough has become much more dense because the gluten was overdeveloped. This tends to happen when a dough is overworked, handling it/mixing it less should help next time.

I preheated the oven to 405 degrees (it runs hot so this is the setting that gives me 425 degrees). The scones came out of the freezer, were set onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, placed into the oven. I set timer for 18 minutes and moved on.

Use the top of your fingers for this. Insert a skewer or toothpick into the scone. If it comes out clean, the scone is ready. If it comes out with dough on it, the scones need a little more cooking time.

Overworking the dough: when you overwork your dough, your scones can come out tough and chewy, rather than that desired light, crumbly texture. The trick is to use light pressure and only the work the dough until it just comes together.

Some common reasons for dense scones are not using enough baking powder, overworking the dough and not baking with the oven at the correct temperature.

Freeze for more moisture and a better rise: Freeze your scones for about 30 minutes before baking to help them rise taller while maintaining moisture and flavor.