Perfectly fluffy scones

Step 1

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix to combine. Rub in the butter cubes until you reach a breadcrumb consistency. Use a spatula to mix the milk into the dough until it comes together.

Step 2

Knead the dough on a clean, floured surface. A lot of recipes call for little to no kneading but I find it makes a crumbly scone. You need the gluten to be developed a bit so that it is able to capture the gas created by the baking powder being activated. You want the top of the dough ball to be smooth. Cover the dough in cling film and leave on the worktop to prove for 20 minutes.

Step 3

Lightly flour your worktop and the top of the dough and then turn the dough over. Roll the dough out to 2½cm thick then lightly flour again. Cut out 10 scones using a 6cm cutter and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush each with the egg yolk mixture (or just dust with flour to make them vegan), then leave to prove for 1 hour.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas

Step 5

Bake the scones for 10-11 minutes, until the tops are golden-brown.