Earl grey scones
These earl grey scones will be your cup of tea. Bakery fresh flavors come together in this soft, tender and flaky scones infused with earl grey tea, perfect for a tea party, baby shower, or any time you want a splendid indulgence.
what is earl grey tea?
Earl Grey tea is a black tea blend which has been flavored with bergamot oil. Bergamot is a citrus fruit native to Italy. When we lived in North Africa, we would alway look forward to bergamot season. It's flavor is like a sweet lemon, and it looks like a little lemon colored orange. My sweet daughter drinks a cup of earl grey tea each morning with her breakfast and it's special to my heart. I occasionally enjoy my afternoon tea with a splash of lavender milk. I've been dreaming of earl grey recipe for weeks, and this week I finally got around to developing this one and sharing lavender earl grey cake.
Can I use any Earl Grey tea I have in these scones?
Yes, you can use any variety of earl grey tea that you currently have. The important thing is that it's a ground tea since we'll infuse it into our sugar, so if you have loose leaf that that has large grey tea leaves, use a food processor, spice grinder or coffee grinder to finely process it into a fine powder.
ingredients:
Quantities in recipe card:
- All purpose flour
- Buttermilk - Full fat buttermilk creates the most tender scones and gives them that classic tang that you love! I use buttermilk in all of my scone recipes, but In a pinch, you can also use heavy cream, or milk. It will slightly change the flavor and texture.
- Cold unsalted butter - Making perfect scones requires cold butter. As little pieces melt during baking, they release steam and create pockets where air can get trapped inside- this creates fluffy lightness with crispy exteriors!
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Earl grey tea - loose leaf or tea bags
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar
expert tips for a really good scone!
- While it's tempting to mix your scone dough until it becomes one solid mass, this will result in tough dry scones. To get a light and airy texture for not only tastier but also easier-to-eat baked goods, keep mixing just until ingredients are combined into small clumps - do NOT overdo the arm work! I love using my hands because you can feel how much moisture is left within each piece of flour or butter without having any worries!
- Brush the tops of your unbaked scones with a little buttermilk before you bake to achieve a crispy, golden brown top.
How to make them!
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine your earl grey tea and sugar and mix. Set aside.
- Add the cold chopped butter to your flour mixture and cut the butter cubes with a pastry cutter (or your fingers) until they're pea sized pieces.
- Pour in your buttermilk and sugar mixture. Stir until a thick dough forms, and then use your hands to combine until dough is crumbly, but easy to manage.
- Place your dough onto your parchment lined baking sheet, pat into an 8-inch circle, and cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Brush with your 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Arrange the wedges around the baking sheet, leaving room for rising and expansion while they bake.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Frequently asked questions
what are scones?
It depends where in the world you're asking from. These scones are American style, and are more of a dessert. American scones are designed to be eaten alone, and often have a higher fat content and are sweeter. You'll also likely find them with more ingredients and mix ins. English-style scones are traditional scones and tend to be served with less sugar and glazes, because they're meant to be eaten with toppings like lemon curd, preserves or clotted cream. Either way, I don't discriminate from a delicious scone or lady grey tea in any form or fashion.
How long do these scones last?
Fresh scones are best enjoyed within 3 days of being baked.
Can I freeze these scones?
Baked scones freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then warm up to your liking before serving. Scone dough can be frozen for up to one month.
DON'T HAVE BUTTERMILK? NO PROBLEM! SUBSTITUTE WITH THIS:
In a pinch, you can make DIY buttermilk using regular milk and lemon juice. I always use and recommend real, full fat buttermilk for the best, tangy, pancakes.
1. Use milk: Pour 1 cup of whole or 2% milk into a liquid measuring cup. For vegan buttermilk, you can use a vegan milk of your choice with perfect results.
2. Add an acid: For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe up or down depending on how much you need. That's it!
Have leftover buttermilk? Give these recipe a try!
- Cranberry sage buttermilk biscuits
- Lavender buttermilk pancakes
- Apple cider pancakes
- Candied thyme and lemon scones
Earl grey scones
Ingredients
- For the scones
- 2 cups 250 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon earl grey tea loose
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons 75 grams unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 cup buttermilk + 2 tablespoons for brushing onto scones before baking
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine your earl grey tea and sugar and mix. Set aside.
- Add the cold chopped butter to your flour mixture and cut the butter cubes with a pastry cutter (or your fingers) until they're pea sized pieces.
- Pour in your buttermilk and sugar mixture. Stir until a thick dough forms, and then use your hands to combine until dough is crumbly, but easy to manage.
- Place your dough onto your parchment lined baking sheet, pat into an 8-inch circle, and cut into 8 wedges with a sharp knife. Brush with your 2 tablespoons buttermilk.
- Arrange the wedges around the baking sheet, leaving room for rising and expansion while they bake.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
