Vegan Scones
Vegan scones – these easy eggless and dairy-free British scones are a perfect tea time treat. They are quick and simple to make and totally delicious. Serve with jam and vegan cream; or eat them split, toasted and buttered.
Servings 6 scones
Ingredients
- 350 g (3 cups minus 2 Tbsp) self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 50 g (1 ¾ oz) vegan block butter (I use Naturli Vegan Block) cold
- 50 g (1 ¾ oz) solid refined coconut oil refrigerated if necessary
- 40 g (3 Tbsp) caster (superfine) sugar
- 160-180 ml (⅔ to ¾ cup) unsweetened soy milk (or another non-dairy milk)
Glaze:
- 1 Tbsp soy milk
- ½ Tbsp maple syrup
To Serve:
- jam and vegan cream or thick coconut yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- Mix together the self-raising flour and baking powder in a large bowl until they are well combined.
- Add the cold, diced vegan block butter and solid refined coconut oil and rub them in using your fingertips until no lumps of fat remain and the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.The coconut oil in particular can be difficult to rub in so do take your time to ensure that there are no lumps remaining. You can also use a food processor instead for this step (this step only) to save time.
- Stir in the caster sugar.
- Gradually stir in the milk using the back of a knife until it forms a soft, almost sticky dough. If there are any dry, floury bits left in the bottom of the bowl add a drop more milk to mix them in. You may not need to use all of the milk, or you may need a little more.
- Bring the dough together into a ball, it should be soft and a bit sticky. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, don’t knead it but use your hands to kneaten it a little and pat it out into a round about 4cm/1 ½ inches thick.
- Use a floured 6cm/2 ⅓ inch round cutter (plain or fluted is fine) to cut out four scones. Press the cutter straight through the dough, don't twist it. Place them slightly spaced apart on the baking sheet.
- Very gently bring the scraps of dough back together, pat out into a round again and cut out two or three more scones.
- For the glaze, mix together the milk and maple syrup in a small bowl.
- Brush the tops of the scones with the glaze. Don’t let it drip down the sides as that can inhibit the rise.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden. If you tap the underside they should sound hollow, like bread. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool a little before serving.
Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- You can use all vegan block butter or all coconut oil instead of 50/50 if you prefer; but half of each will give the best flavour and texture.
- Your butter and milk should be fridge cold, not room temperature; and the coconut oil (if using) should be solid. If it is a bit soft then refrigerate it first until firm.
- Make sure that you do not overwork the dough, you want to mix it until it comes together, no more than that.
- Placing the cut scones on the baking tray upside down can help them to rise more evenly.
- Get the scones into the oven as soon as possible, don’t leave them sitting around as the raising agents start to work straight away.
- Scones are best eaten as soon as possible, ideally just cooled, and definitely on the same day as they are baked. If you do happen to have any leftovers the next day then they are best eaten split, toasted and buttered.
- You can freeze the scones once they have cooled (ideally as soon as they are completely cold). To eat, defrost them then place in a low oven (160C/fan140C/320F/gas mark 3) for a few minutes to refresh.
- You can also freeze the unbaked scones as soon as you have cut them out. Freeze them on some baking paper on a baking tray before storing them in a freezer-safe tub or zip seal bag. Then, when you want your scones, transfer them to a prepared tray and pop them straight into the preheated oven from frozen. You might need to add a couple of minutes to the baking time.