Name: Quick scones recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: american, australian, british, european
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups self-raising flour; 1 cup milk; 1 cup cream

by DanniD Last updated on 02/17/2025

Need a baked treat in a jiffy? These three-ingredient quick scones will impress without the stress. All you need is some jam and cream and a nice hot cuppa to make your treat complete.

How to make quick scones: key tips

All the ingredients go into the one bowl in this easy recipe. Use a flat-bladed knife to mix them together, but be really careful not to stir too much. If the flour is overworked, your scones will turn out dense, rather than light and fluffy. Instead, stir until the mixture is just combined.

I love how the cook uses a drinking glass to cut the scones on a well-floured surface. Choose a regular straight-sided glass and simply push the rim down on the dough to cut out each of the scones. Try not to twist the glass while doing so, as this can also ‘overwork’ the flour.

Key ingredients in this quick scones recipe

Flour, milk and cream are all you need to make these quick and easy scones. Using both milk and cream ensures that you have enough fat, without the need for butter, while also making certain that the scones will still be lovely and light.

Here are some more scone recipes for your next afternoon tea. These muffin recipes are delicious, too.

This recipe was originally submitted by DanniD, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community. Introduction and additional recipe notes by Natasha Shaw.

- Australia's Best Recipes Team

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream

Method

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 200C.
Step 2

Put all ingredients into a bowl. Mix roughly with a knife, but don't over mix.
Step 3

Dust bench or board with flour.
Step 4

Pat dough on bench until approximately 3-5cm high.
Step 5

Use an upside-down glass dusted with flour to cut out scones. Place scones on an oven tray.
Step 6

Bake for 20 minutes.

Equipment

1 bowl
1 baking tray

Recipe Notes

from Australia’s Best Recipes team

Should you freeze the scones before baking?

A little trick of the trade is to freeze the cut scones before baking, as this will keep the butter solid which, in turn, will lead to small air pockets as the butter melts in the scones as they cook. The result is a super soft and airy scone texture.

How should I space the scones on the baking tray?

When you're baking biscuits, you often need to leave some space between the dough rounds to cater for spreading. However, when you're baking scones, the dough rounds should be placed close together – this will encourage them to rise upwards, rather than outwards, forming beautifully high scones that can easily be halved and spread with jam and cream.