These Strawberry Scones are flaky and crisp outside and buttery soft inside. They're made with only a handful of ingredients and are quick and easy to prepare! If you'd like to try a traditionally British teatime treat, these scones are a must!
It’s the Kings Coronation this weekend, so I thought I’d share one of the most quintessentially British bakes for you to enjoy! British afternoon tea isn’t complete without scones – They’re a staple! Scones aren’t traditionally vegan as they contain eggs, butter, and milk, but I promise you, these vegan scones taste just as good, if not better!
GET CREATIVE!
I’ve added fresh strawberries and a bit of vanilla extract to these scones, but this recipe makes to perfect base so you can get creative with additional ingredients or use a different berry in place of the strawberries. You can add dried fruits such as sultanas, raisins, blueberries, or cranberries, and why not try adding at citrusy twist with a bit of lemon or orange zest.
HOW TO SERVE STRAWBERRY SCONES
Scones have a tendency to go stale quite quickly, so they’re best served on the day they’re baked. I’d recommend baking them about 30 minutes before you’d like to serve them. Once baked, take them out of the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. They’re traditionally served with strawberry or raspberry jam and clotted cream. For a vegan alternative to clotted cream, you can serve them with oat based crème fraiche, vegan buttercream or sweetened vegan cream cheese.
HOW TO STORE STRAWBERRY SCONES
If you get the occasional craving for a few scones but you don’t want to bake a large batch, then you can freeze some of the unbaked scones once they’ve been cut into rounds. Place them flat on a lined baking tray and cover the top with a bit of cling film before storing in the freezer. When you want to cook the frozen scones, remove the cling film, then transfer the prepared tray into a preheated oven and cook for a few minutes longer than the normal baking time. I’ve tried storing baked scones in the freezer, but I find that they don’t taste half as good as when they’re freshly baked, so for storage, I would highly recommend you store them unbaked. Baked scones are best eaten as soon as possible after they’ve cooled down, but if you have any leftovers the next day, they are also delicious split in half and toasted.
STRAWBERRY SCONES INGREDIENTS:
Scones only require a few basic ingredients:
Strawberries - I’ve added fresh strawberries and a bit of vanilla extract to these scones, but this recipe makes to perfect base so you can get creative with additional ingredients or use a different berry in place of the strawberries.
Self-raising flour - it's important to use self-raising flour to get an even rise.
Baking Powder - This additional raising agent will lighten the texture of the scones and will help them to rise better.
Caster Sugar - Caster sugar dissolves quicker in the dough so this is what I use for most of my baking recipes, but you could use granulated white sugar instead. I wouldn’t suggest using any type of brown sugar as it’ll change the colour of the scones.
Unsweetened Almond Milk - Unsweetened almond milk is my go-to plant-based milk when it comes to cooking and baking. Depending on which brand you use, the taste is quite mild so it’s great for both sweet and savoury dishes. You could substitute almond milk with other neutral tasting, unsweetened plant-based milks such as oat or soy milk.
Vegan block butter - I used the Flora vegan butter block, but any plant-based butter will do. using a block butter will give the scones a light and crumbly texture. I wouldn’t recommend using oil or margarine as it won’t create the same outcome.
Vanilla extract - the vanilla extract adds a lovely flavour, but it is optional. You could use other flavours or fruits in these scones.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SCONES
STEP 1:
Preheat the oven to 200C and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
STEP 2:
Add the vanilla extract and gradually pour in the soya milk and mix to a soft, sticky dough. Add the chopped strawberries and fold them into the dough. Strawberries have a high water content, so you might find that the dough becomes a little too sticky once you’ve added the strawberries, if this is the case, you can add an additional 60g of flour to help to bring the dough together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead very lightly until the dough comes together. It is essential that you don’t overwork the dough, or the scones will become too hard. Roll the dough out, to about 1 ½ -2 cm thickness.
STEP 3:
Cut into as many rounds as possible with a 6-7cm round pastry cutter. Re-roll the remaining pastry and cut out more rounds until all the pastry is used. Place the scones on the lined baking tray and place in the fridge to chill for 15-20 minutes.
STEP 4:
Remove the scones from the fridge, brush the tops of the scones with some plant-based milk and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the scones are well risen and lightly golden. Make sure to check on the scones after 15 minutes to prevent them from overbaking. Take the scones out the oven and allow them to cool down for a few minutes.
STEP 5:
Serve the scones while they are still warm. To serve, split them in half and serve with strawberry jam and a dollop of whipped cream or butter.
TIPS FOR MAKING STRAWBERRY SCONES
I find that storing the scones in the fridge for 20 minutes, or in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking helps the scones to rise better and more evenly, it also prevents the butter from melting before the scones have had a chance to rise. I would recommend that you do not skip this step.
Make sure to not overwork the dough, you just want to lightly knead it for a minute or two until it comes together.
Dip the cutter in a bit of flour to make it easier to remove the scones.
When you glaze the scones with the plant-based milk, make sure that you only glaze the tops. Brushing the sides with milk can prevent the scones from rising well.
When rolling out the dough, make sure to keep it about 1 1/2 - 2cm thick – if the dough is rolled out too thin, the scones won’t rise.
Make sure your vegan butter and milk are chilled when preparing the dough.