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 Spring scones
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 list
- Buttermilk: regular, full-fat buttermilk is used for this recipe. Use store-bought or homemade (recipe in the recipe card's notes).
- Fresh strawberries.
- 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.
- Salt.
- Sugar: we use white, granulated sugar, but light brown sugar works very well. It will give the dough a more yellowish tone.
- Unsalted butter.
- Vanilla.
- Orange: the scone dough has orange zest, and the glaze is made with orange juice. This flavor pairs amazingly well with strawberries.
Variations & Substitutions
- 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.
- Different sizes: for a brunch table, tea time, or that type of gathering, you might want to make smaller scones, and round ones at that (check out the parmesan chive scones as a guide to the shape) as they are usually easier to handle and bake more evenly. Use a round cookie cutter.
Top 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 ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
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. Simply drizzle it on top of the scones.
Simply mix powdered sugar (also called icing sugar or confectioners' sugar depending on the country) with a liquid. The list is long: any juice (citrus or otherwise), cream or milk, coffee, extracts, liqueurs, water and even olive oil.
- 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 great 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, almond milk, or almost any type of white liquid that is used in baking. 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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Glazed Strawberry Scones
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Ingredients
For the scones:
- 2 ¾ cups 360g pastry or all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Large pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, or ½ teaspoon lime or lemon zest if you want a sharper flavor
- 6 oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes, very cold
- 1 ½ cups about 8 oz fresh strawberries, diced
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk, very cold
- Extra sugar, for sprinkling
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 3-4 medium strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease the bottom.
- Food processor: place flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and orange zest in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to mix.
- Scatter the cubes of frozen butter 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 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 or pastry blender. The pieces of butter should be the size of peas and beans. It will be irregular. Then follow the recipe below.
- For both methods: transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the strawberries and mix lightly with a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Drizzle the buttermilk and vanilla 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 or dough cutter 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, simply pat it so it holds together.
- Make a circle with the dough, about 2 inches high.
- Cut it in half, and then cut each half into 4 triangles. You should have 8 pieces or triangles.
- 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 the strawberries in half.
- Process them with the orange juice. I use the immersion blender with the small chopper attachment.
- Add half to the powdered sugar in a small bowl and mix to combine. Keep adding strawberry puree until it's thick but pourable.
- Alternatively, simply use orange juice, cream, or milk. The glaze will be white, not pink.
- Drizzle on the cold scones and let dry before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, by Nancy Silverton
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
I have bridal shower I'm giving soon. these scones are perfect!
susan says
I love that you added fresh strawberries to your scones. I need to try this soon, they look amazing.
Laura Hunter says
These look incredible. I really shouldn't have read this hungry because now I really want scones.
Karen says
Oh, and no one can make chicken salad as delicious as my great aunt made. We have all tried. Same ingredients, but never tastes the same. Sometimes it's just the love that it is added. 🙂
Karen says
Paula, these look sooooo good! I want to eat them before they are even cooked! The strawberries are lovely! The season just started here so I need to get out picking soon and make these!
Melanie says
Those are gorgeous. I just love the pop of color from the strawberries. Perfect for a shower!
Rhu Sam says
Hace tiempo que quiero preparar scones en casa y todavía no me he animado. Estos con fresas (frutillas?) me han abierto el apetito. They look goooooorgeous!!
Laura says
These are seriously yummy!
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
Beautiful! I haven't made scones since culinary school, but when I start to see some good berries at the market, I'll keep these in mind for sure!
german in pdx says
I had never been to a shower before moving to the States 😉
I want to be at the party where you bring food, Paula. These strawberry scones look amazing!!! ~ Bea
Jennifer B says
You've never been to a shower?? That is so surprising to me. My oldest friend came to my bridal shower a month ago and that was her first too. Maybe I was just 'always a bridesmaid, never a bride' before finally getting engaged, lol. Anyway, I've never made scones, but I'd love to make these! I love that you can clearly see the strawberry bits.
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
What a rich family history you have, Paula! And yes - it was unheard of for a young man from a foreign country to go to America for college back in 1918 - that's amazing! Your family must be so proud of that achievement. And, girl, really? You've never been to a baby or bridal shower? It must be a North American thing. Yes, it's all very dainty and proper, lol. Although bridal showers are getting a bit raunchier. All the ones I've ever been to featured cakes shaped in a certain male anatomy. I made you-know-what shaped cookies with the tips dipped in white chocolate for my best friend's bridal shower as gifts for the ladies. I'm sure they appreciated them! These biscuits look amazing - I love the use of strawberry. And thanks for all the tips of making the perfect scone - the last time I made them, they were like little pieces of lead. Probably because I didn't do any of the things you recommend in this post!
Lucy says
These looks so cheery and summery - such a sweet theme!
Stacy says
You run a tight ship, Paula! I feel that under your tutelage we will all be making scones that would impress your forebears. 🙂 I just happen to have a pack of strawberries in the refrigerator and butter in the freezer so I am all set to try.
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says
Paula, just yesterday evening I was talking to one of my daughters and told her we would be having a British style afternoon tea with scones and clotted cream one afternoon this week - I was pondering which scones to bake and these look very delicious to me. They might not turn out as pretty loooking as yours but I will certainly give them a try and let you know how well they were received. Thanks for the lovely inspiration on a Monday morning, Paula!
Have a good day!
Megan Wood says
Wow - those scones! I have to give this a try and thank you for sharing your Grandma's recipe with us all. YUM.
Laura Dembowski says
Transportation of produce is really a modern marvel. I don't think a single week of the year goes by where there aren't strawberries, asparagus, and other seasonal vegetables in the store.
These scones look great, Paula! I'm also super curious about the plum pudding. Have you shared the recipe?
e / dig in says
Another fabulous recipe Paula that leaves me wanting what you've baked! it's autumn here too and these would be perfect for warming you up from the insider.
thanks too for the advice to keep everything cold. Not a problem as my kitchen is one of the coldest rooms in the house at this time of year; i usually have a problem keeping butter soft!
Deb says
Here in California we are just beginning our strawberry season and I can't wait to begin baking with the fresh berries!
The sprinkle of nutmeg paired with the sweet juicy berries sounds divine!
mividaenundulce says
You cannot imagine how much I like scones, the problem is that for some reason my family only likes the salty ones, I don't know why.