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Mary Berry Sultana Scones Recipe

Mary Berry Sultana Scones Recipe

Mary Berry's sultana scones are light, golden, and packed with plump sultanas — the most traditional and most beloved British scone recipe.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 12 Scones
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: British
Calories: 240
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Sultana Scones:
  • 450 g self-raising flour sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 100 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
  • 150 g sultanas soaked in warm water 15 minutes and drained — recommended
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 150 ml whole milk — 2 tbsp reserved for glazing
  • To Serve:
  • Clotted cream good quality strawberry jam, strong tea

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas 7. Line a large tray with parchment.
  2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add sugar. Rub in cold butter quickly with fingertips — fine breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized pieces. Add drained sultanas — toss to distribute.
  3. Beat eggs and milk together. Reserve 2 tbsp. Make a well — add almost all the liquid. Mix quickly with a round-bladed knife until just combined and shaggy. Do not overwork.
  4. Pat gently on a floured surface to exactly 3cm thickness. Dip 6cm cutter in flour. Press straight down — never twist. Gather trimmings once only — pat and cut again.
  5. Place on tray. Brush tops only with reserved egg and milk. Bake 12–15 minutes until well risen and deeply golden.
  6. Transfer to wire rack. Serve warm within 30 minutes with clotted cream and jam.

Notes

Soak sultanas in warm water 15 minutes then drain — plumper, more flavourful result.
Work butter in quickly with cool hands — stop when the crumbs are fine.
Pat to exactly 3cm — sultana dough is heavier and needs the starting height.
Brush top only — sides must be free to rise.
Eat within 30 minutes of baking — the peak is brief and genuinely wonderful.
Freeze raw cut scones — bake from frozen at 220°C for 16–18 minutes.
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