Scones are awesome. Light and fluffy insides. Crunchy golden tops. Served warm. Dripping in Butter. OMG currently drooling. So YUM!
But, thanks to the gazillion scone recipes on the world wide web. Scones.
Well scones, got complicated…
Add lemonade. No buttermilk. The secret ingredient is unicorn dust with a pinch of glitter. Okay, so I made that last one up. But, you get the picture?
But people. I have good news! Delicious buttery scones don’t need to be complicated.
These beauties? Just 3 simple ingredients. – self raising flour, butter and milk. They’re light and fluffy, but crunchy where they need to be. Totally sugar free. Amazingly easy. And best of all. Incredibly delicious!!
It was the way my Mum always made them. And Mums *always* knows best, right?
Save this one for later guys. Because it is the only simple scone recipe that you’ll ever need. And, if you try them out, I’d love to know what you think.
3 Ingredient Super Simple Scone Recipe
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 15 scones 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Australian
Description
Light and fluffy insides. Crunchy golden tops. This 3 ingredient super simple scone recipe is the only scone recipe you will ever need
Ingredients
- 3 cups of self-raising flour
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Place the flour and butter in a mixing bowl and then use your fingertips to rub the flour and butter together until the mixture forms fine breadcrumbs.
- Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add 1 cup of milk. Mix until the mixture forms a soft dough, adding an extra dash of milk if the mixture is dry.
- Lightly flour your bench top. Transfer the dough to the floured surface and knead until smooth. Pat the dough down with the palm of your hand until it’s about 2cm thick. Use a round cutter or a glass to cut out scones. If there is dough leftover, pull it together and repeat the process. You should end up with 15 scones.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the scones have risen and the tops are golden. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm.
Notes
- Scones are traditionally served with jam and cream. If you’re looking for a sugar free alternative try making chia jam. It’s so easy and totally delicious. The recipe I use is from Ali at Gimme Some Oven. I prefer fructose free sweeteners, so I switch out the honey/maple syrup for rice malt syrup.
- Pimp yo’ scones. Try adding cheese and herbs for a tasty savoury snack, or something sweet like dried fruit or even chocolate for a sneaky treat.
P.S – Now you’ve got you afternoon treat sorted, get dinner sorted too. Grab your FREE quick and easy weeknight dinner plan right here.
Hi, I'm Rani! 
Superb and so easy!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Bee. It’s the exact recipe my Mum has always used to make scones. And you know what they say…mothers always know best.
Really appreciate you stopping by to leave a comment.
Rani x
Is the butter melted, or softened or what?
Hey there Jessica
The butter can go straight into the mixing bowl without being melted or softened (in fact the recipe won’t work if the butter is melted). Because you use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour the warmth of your hands softens the butter pretty quickly – if you start with room temperature butter this process will be a bit quicker.
Thanks so much for your question.
Rani x
How long do you have to bake at the 200 degree mark? My scones have been baking for almost 40 minutes and they haven’t browned or raised. So I turned the oven up to 350 do I’ll see how that works.
Hi Joanne. I’m Australian so the temperature for the recipe is in Celsius. I’m so sorry if this wasn’t clear. I’ve juts done the conversion and 200C is the equivalent of about 390F. They scones only need 15 to 20 minutes in the oven at this temperature. Good luck! Rani x
This recipe worked so well, and I am someone who usually fails at anything baked! I replaced the milk and butter with dairy free versions and it worked brilliantly, thanks so much xx
★★★★★
Yay! That’s awesome Laura. Thank you so much for the feedback. I am so glad they worked just as well with dairy-free alternatives. Here’s to many more scones in your future!
I tried,but it didn’t totally raised and became too hard after taking out from the oven:( ,how long should I knead it? Thinking that’s maybe the problem why it didn’t raise at all.Thanks!Appreciate your immediate reply.
Rowena
Thanks
Hi Rowena. Firstly, I am so sorry to hear that your scones didn’t rise. Let’s try and work this out. I generally knead the dough for 3-4minutes until the dough becomes just smooth. Also the temperature in this recipe is in Celsius (I’m from Australia) rather than Fahrenheit. This caused some confusion for another one of my readers. The only other thing I can think of is the type of flour (I recommend self raising which has the rising agent pre-added)rather than plain flour. I hope that helps. Again, I’m so sorry your scones didn’t work out. I wish I could bake a batch for you. Rani x
Fantastic recipe, Rani.
Absolutely delisicious.
I tried the recipe out using the new oven.
Hunky dory. Perfect.
Taste tested by the family, served with fresh homemade whipped cream and strawberry jam.
Thumbs up all round.
Excellent!
A whole lot more to be made. Together with clotted cream.
★★★★★
Thank you SO much! It makes me so happy to hear that you enjoyed these with your family. This was my Mum’s recipe and I have so many happy memories of sharing these scones with my family too. I hope you enjoy many more. Rani
Hi, do you have the recipe also in grams/ml?
I really want to try it.
Thank you very much.
Hi Andreea, Firstly I am so sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I have put thee ingredients into an online converter and this is what it shows for grams/ml:
375g self-raising flour
75g butter
250ml milk
Unfortunately, I haven’t tested the recipe using these measurements. If the mixture seems to wet add some extra flour or to dry some extra milk. I hope that helps!
Rani
Super easy and tasted great! Such a good simple recipe with ingredients that you mostly have in the pantry. Didn’t take long to make either
★★★★★
Thank you SO much for taking the time to let me know that you loved the scones. It’s one of my favourite recipes too. In fact, I think you’ve inspired me to make some tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
In your recipe you mention 3 cups of flour / 1/3 cup butter .
What amount is a CUP
Hi John. Thank you, that’s a great question. Its a reference to a measuring cup. I’m in Australia so it’s a metric measuring cup which is 250ml. I hope that helps. Best Regards Rani
Definitely my go to scone recipe.. I love 3 ingredient recipes, always seems to work.. Thank you for sharing..
★★★★★
You are so welcome Valerie. I really appreciate you taking the time too leave a comment. It was originally my Mum’s scone recipe, and to think that it’s now the go to in other families is so heart warming. Thank you!
These are so easy and not fussy to make so easy to make the real think.
I am so glad to hear that. It’s one of my family’s favourite recipes handed down from my Mum. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed the recipe. Rani x
Awesome and simple recipe, thanks!!
★★★★★
Thank you SO much! It’s an old family recipe, so it makes me so happy to hear that you think it’s awesome too.
Ehat is the cream recipe?
Hi Christian – thanks for visiting YTGT. I don’t have an actual recipe for the cream, but it’s super easy. Just start with some heavy whipping cream in a bowl and blend with a hand mixer until it forms stiff peaks. You can add some maple syrup or vanilla to the cream before you blend if you’d like a sweeter taste. Enjoy your scones!
will this work for savoury scones? 375 g S.R.flour, 75 grams rendered beef or lamb dripping, 1 Tab spoon powdered milk, 1 cup soda water. Salt.
Hi Lorraine
Thanks so much for stopping by. Unfortunately, it’s hard for me to say, as I have never cooked scones using those ingredients. But, it does sound like you have all the right elements to make a scone. Good luck! Rani
About what diameter round biscuit cutter is used??
A 3-inch biscuit cutter will do the trick!
Thanks for stopping by.
Rani x
I have loved scones ever since my husband was stationed there while in the US military. But never learned how to make them. Does the flour need to be sifted. and are the measurements you give the same as US measurements? Looking forward to giving this a try.
Thank you for South Carolina.
L
Hi Lea! So glad you found us, all the way in South Carolina. The good news. There’s no need to sift the flour. You probably could if you wanted too, but I never do and the scones turn out just fine. Unfortunately the measurements in the recipe do use Australian cups and measuring spoons. But hopefully this website will help with the conversion: https://recipeland.com/how-to/australian-cooking-measurements-142
I hope you enjoy your scones. They are definitely a family favourite of ours.
Rani