Scone Calculator

Handle the dough as little as possible. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then make a well and add the wet ingredients. Bring together with a knife, then gently pat (never roll vigorously) to about 2cm thick. Over-working develops gluten, which makes scones tough.

Cold butter, cut into small cubes. Cold butter creates small pockets in the dough that expand during baking, giving a lighter texture. Some bakers even freeze the butter and grate it in for the best results.

Twisting the cutter seals the edges of the dough and prevents the scone from rising evenly. Press the cutter straight down and lift straight up for the tallest, most even rise.

About 2-2.5cm thick. Thinner dough gives flat scones, while thicker dough gives taller ones. Pat the dough gently to an even thickness — never use a rolling pin, as this overworks the dough.

No. Self-raising flour already contains its raising agent (roughly 3-5g of baking powder per 100g of flour), so adding more over-leavens the dough — scones taste soapy and bitter, over-puff, then collapse. This calculator adds zero extra baking powder when you select self-raising flour. Only if you switch to plain flour does it add about 10g of baking powder per 225g of flour as a substitute.

Yes — select 'Plain flour + baking powder' and the calculator adds about 10g baking powder per 225g flour to replace the raising agent that self-raising flour would have supplied. Add a small pinch of salt either way. Do not add this baking powder on top of self-raising flour, or the scones will over-rise and collapse.