This is a fabulous, tender strawberry scone recipe that bakes to a golden brown and has the most eye-catching pink drizzle of strawberry glaze. You can make them ahead, cut them and freeze them until ready to be baked. If you're apprehensive about making scones, I give you all my tips and tricks.
Sweet and buttery
The first time I made these was for the first bridal shower I ever went to. Not knowing what the protocol was or what to expect. So I thought fresh strawberries screamed bridal shower in Spring. Who knows.
But I do know about scones. Whether they're savory scones, scones with buttermilk or blueberry scones, I can tell you a thing or two about making them and eating them, lol.
So let's dive into the perfect strawberry buttermilk scones for when berry season hits, with fresh strawberries and the prettiest glaze ever.
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Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands I use.
- Buttermilk: Regular, full-fat buttermilk is used for this recipe. Use store-bought or homemade (recipe in the recipe card's notes).
- Fresh strawberries: Take advantage of seasonal ones that have more flavor.
- All-purpose flour: or use part cake flour, 50/50. It will make scones cakier and less rustic, but not so much that they lose their essence.
- Baking powder: Make sure it hasn't expired.
- Sugar: white or light brown sugar can be used. The latter will add a caramel tone and golden hue to the dough.
Variations & Substitutions
- Use regular milk instead of buttermilk. Or make your own by mixing
- Spices: add some ground nutmeg, cinnamon, or cardamom to the flour mixture for a more complex flavor.
- Citrus zest: I use orange because it's mellower than lemon or lime, but they all pair very well with strawberries.
- Liqueur: use your favorite orange liqueur or a nut one like Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) for a touch of booze in the glaze.
Tips for scones and biscuits
- Baking powder: It's essential to help the scones rise, so make sure it's not expired.
- Very cold ingredients: I'm not kidding when I say very cold butter. I cut it and put the pieces in the freezer for 5 minutes before using it. And don't take the liquid ingredients out before you start mixing the scones. They belong in the fridge until you need them.
- Don't work the dough much. It should come together but might still have floury patches. You don't need to work it until it's smooth, like pie dough. It is uneven, with dry spots sometimes, and that's good for flakiness later.
- A rather high oven is necessary: they need that extra heat (and baking powder) to rise. If you happen to forget to turn the oven on before you start mixing, please don't leave the baking sheet with the cut scones waiting on the counter. Put them in the fridge or freezer for the ten or fifteen minutes it takes for the oven to reach its temperature.
Steps to make the scone dough
Organization: Read the recipe first and ensure you have the ingredients at the correct temperature, the utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
Different sizes: For a brunch table, tea time, or similar type of gathering, you might want to make smaller scones, and round ones at that (check out the parmesan chive scones as a guide for the shape), as they are usually easier to handle. Use a round cookie cutter.
Cold butter
Stir the flour mixture and sugar. Use butter in small pieces and as cold as you can.
Crumbly mixture
After the butter is integrated, the pieces should be the size of peas or beans, a mix. They will be irregular, especially if you mix by hand, and that is fine.
Strawberries
Cut them into small pieces so they distribute well. Fold them lightly into the dry ingredients.
Cold buttermilk
Add it quickly and stir the dough with a fork to moisten.
Working surface
The dough will have dry patches so don't flour it from the beginning.
Dough scraper: it's a great tool to help you fold the shaggy mass onto itself so it slowly comes together. With each fold, it will be more cohesive.
Circle of dough
Pat the dough into a circle, but do not overwork it! You can also use a metal spatula to help you with the dough.
I cut it into 8 triangles with the dough scraper or a large kitchen knife. You can also use a cookie cutter and make rounds scones.
Before baking
Separate the triangles so they have space to expand during baking.
Sprinkling sugar on top gives them an extra crunch, especially if you might eat them plain, without the glaze.
Baking scones
Baking time: consider that all ovens are different, so it might take you more or less time.
Testing for doneness: open carefully the scone with a fork to check that the inside is fully baked.
Strawberry glaze
This is the simplest glaze ever and a great way to serve these delicious scones, and a drizzle goes a long way.
- Pink glaze: process a few strawberries with orange juice and use that mixture as the liquid part. I think the color alone makes them irresistible and eye-catching for a brunch table, Easter weekend, Mother's Day, or any other celebration.
- White glaze: Use milk or heavy cream, whipping cream, half and half or almond milk. It'll be easier than making the strawberry puree first, but it won't be as striking.
Related recipes you might like:
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Strawberry Scones (with strawberry glaze)
Ingredients
For the scones:
- 2 ¾ cups cake or all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons white or light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, or ½ teaspoon lime or lemon zest if you want a sharper flavor
- 6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into cubes, very cold
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, diced, about 8 ounces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk, very cold
- additional sugar, for sprinkling
For the glaze:
- 3 or 4 medium strawberries, washed and dried
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease the bottom.
- Food processor: place 2 ¾ cups cake or all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons white or light brown sugar and 1 teaspoon orange zest in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to mix.
- Scatter 6 ounces unsalted butter, diced and cold, on top, and process on low until the mixture is grainy and the butter the size of peas. Don't overprocess.
- By hand: add the dry ingredients (2 ¾ cups cake or all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons white or light brown sugar and 1 teaspoon orange zest) to a large bowl and combine them well with a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Scatter the butter pieces on top and integrate by hand or with a pastry cutter. The pieces of butter should be the size of peas and beans. It will be irregular.
- For both methods, transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, diced and stir lightly with a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Drizzle ¾ cup buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract over the flour mixture.
- Mix with a spatula or fork until it barely comes together, but don't mix too much or the scones will be tough and flat.
- On a lightly floured surface, transfer the mixture, and pat it together, folding it unto itself a few times (I use a dough scraper to help me fold the dough onto itself), until you have a circle of dough that holds together. It will still be shaggy in places. Don't be tempted to overwork it as you would a pie crust. I don't use a rolling pin, but if you want to roll it very lightly, you don't want to press it down and compact it too much, simply pat it so it holds together.
- Make a circle with the dough, about 2 inches high.
- Cut the circle in half using the dough scraper or a large kitchen knife. Then cut each half in half again and each part in half again until you have 4 triangles. You should have 8 pieces or triangles in total. At this point, they can be frozen, well covered, for up to a month, and baked directly from the freezer. They might take a few more minutes.
- Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle the tops with additional sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes, turn down the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C, and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until golden, dry, and quite firm. If you need to check, with the tip of a fork lift the top of a scone and see if the inside is dry. Depending on the size and height, the bake time might vary, so start checking at the 30-minute mark.
- I recommend eating them within a few hours of being baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container for a day, maybe two, but the texture is much better the day they're baked.
For the glaze:
- Hull and cut 3 or 4 medium strawberries in half. Process them with 2 tablespoons orange juice. I use an immersion blender with the small chopper attachment. You can strain it before or use it as is and have a more rustic glaze.
- Mix 1 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl with half of the strawberry mixture. Keep adding strawberry puree until the glaze is thick but pourable.
- Drizzle on the cold scones and let dry before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, by Nancy Silverton
Lisa says
Great recipe, its spring in Florida so plenty of beautiful fresh strawberries and oranges for this and love the freezing instructions as they can be baked as desired. Thank you,
Tia Mono says
Hi Paula, I tried making some, but I found myself adding at least 1/2 cup more of liquid. I chose heavy whipping cream instead of buttermilk. I made sure all ingredients were measured correctly. What do you think happened. It still tasted delicious. I just don’t know how to do better next time
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Tia! Cream is denser than buttermilk and more difficult to integrate easily. How did they turn out texture-wise? It's too much liquid in theory. The dough needs to barely come together, not be smooth. Are you not using buttermilk for a specific reason?
lexi says
hiya, why do you not recommend frozen strawberries?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Lexi. the amount of strawberries is substantial and when I tested frozen strawberries they were too watery and the texture of the scones was a bit lost. But feel free to make your own test, maybe use a smaller amount. Ingredients are different everywhere so you might have a good result.
Rewari Haryana says
This recipe is amazing! Quick, easy and most of all, delicious! If you are looking for a scone recipe, this one is definitely the one!!!!
Paula Montenegro says
I agree completely. Glad you liked it!
Marlena says
Paula these were INCREDIBLE!! First of all the smell as they were baking...YUM. I just knew they were gonna be good! I had strawberries that were nearly expiring and this was the perfect recipe to utilize them. I loved the golden rustic look and I think the lime zest helped enhance the strawberry taste. These won't last long so I'm already planning to make another batch with a different fruit combination. My only note was that it was a little difficult to transfer the wet, sliced dough from the surface to the baking sheet. I think a workaround might be to form and slice the dough on parchment and then pick up the parchment and transfer to baking sheet. I should've used my own common sense ♀️. But still the results were just delicious...Brava!
Paula Montenegro says
OMG so glad you loved them Marlena! You're right about the cutting and transfer to the baking sheet. I will specify it. Let me know how the others come out! Stay safe!
angiesrecipes says
They look so GOOD with fresh berries...perfect!
Paula Montenegro says
I think so too Angie!
Juliana says
Love any kind of scones. I'm going to try this soon
Lora CakeDuchess says
I love that you have a little Irish in you. It shows in these gorgeous scones. How cool your grandfather studied in the States. What an interesting history you have. Yes, there are different types of showers. The ones I've been to have been usually for babies and there was lots of finger food and silly games where you guess the sex of the baby and wrap the mommy's belly with toilet paper...stuff like that!LOL
Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen says
I love the sound of strawberry buttermilk scones, these look incredible!