With its distinctive flavour, floral Earl Grey tea adds a delicate but delicious note to this Earl Grey scone recipe. And because Earl Grey is always best with lemon, a lemony glaze completes the treat.
I always make these earl grey scones for Easter brunch and Mother’s Day brunch, and they always disappear fast. Along with my blueberry scones and lavender scones.
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Earl Grey tea scones have a subtly floral, citrusy flavor with delicate hints of bergamot, and a buttery, tender crumb.
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Ingredients
Ingredient quantities and detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Scones
- All-purpose flour: I developed this delicious scone recipe before I was gluten-free, and used all-purpose flour. I now use a gluten-free all purpose flour. I’ve tested this recipe with Cup4Cup, and with Bob’s Red Mill, both 1:1 ratio gluten-free flour blends. Both blends are perfect, and nobody can tell these scones are gluten-free. If you use a gluten-free flour blend, be sure that it contains xanthan gum.
- Earl Grey tea bags: While my Earl Grey scones recipe uses bags of tea, loose tea leaves work, too.
- Sugar: White sugar is best in scones recipes for its simple, neutral sweetness. You can use regular granulated sugar or finer caster sugar.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Earl Grey tea scones use baking soda and baking powder to rise properly and have a light, tender texture. Baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients like the buttermilk, while baking powder provides extra lift for a fluffy finish.
- Butter: Using very cold butter yields fluffy scones with flaky layers. I used unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, omit the added salt from the recipe.
- Buttermilk: The acidity in buttermilk reacts with the leavening agents to help make the dough rise and stay moist while baking. While real buttermilk creates the best results, you can create your own in a pinch. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a one-cup measuring cup, then fill the rest with regular or non-dairy milk. (I use almond milk).
- Large egg: An egg sets scones apart from biscuits, which do not add eggs with the liquid. It helps bind the ingredients together.
Lemon Glaze
- Icing sugar: Also called confectioner’s sugar, icing sugar dissolves best in the lemon juice to create a smooth glaze. I recommend sifting the sugar before mixing with the lemon juice to prevent clumps.
- Lemon juice: You must use freshly squeezed lemon juice! Add the lemon zest for an extra lemon boost. Orange zest and juice would complement the Earl Grey flavor, too.
How to Make Earl Grey Scones
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until crumbly.
- Whisk the buttermilk and egg in a small bowl.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir swiftly until a shaggy dough forms.
- On a lightly floured surface, gently pat the dough into a 9×6-inch rectangle. Trim the edges, then cut each rectangle into three. Cut each piece into 2 squares.
- Cut each square into two triangles.
- Place the triangles on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- In a separate bowl, combine the icing sugar and lemon juice.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones.
Helpful Tips
- Use cold, not room temperature, ingredients. Make sure that your butter, eggs, and milk are cold straight from the fridge. The butter should melt in the oven, not during mixing. This will result in flaky, tender scones, which is the goal.
- Mix the dough by hand. You can quickly overwork scone dough when you blend the ingredients in a food processor, so I highly recommend you use a pastry cutter and wooden spoon instead. You could also freeze the butter and shred it with a cheese grater or box grater.
- Chill the dough. Again, for the same reason, if your kitchen is warm, chill the shaped scone dough in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
- Shape the dough with your hands, not a rolling pin. It’s easy to overwork the dough if you roll it out, so I always pat it gently with my hands until it’s the right shape and thickness.
- Use a pizza cutter. Cutting the triangle scones with a pizza cutter is much easier and neater. A sharp bench scraper would also work.
- Achieve the best texture. A good scone will have a nice rise, with a crisp, golden exterior, and a tender, slightly cakey interior.
- Brush the scone dough with an egg wash, buttermilk, or heavy cream. This is optional, but it will create a deeper golden brown color on the tops of your scones.
- Don’t use old tea. Although tea doesn’t go bad, it loses flavor over time, especially if the tea bags are not individually packaged. If the tea is too old, the scones won’t have much flavor.
- Let the scones cool before glazing. The glaze will melt and slide off hot scones, so the scones need to cool first.
- Adjust the consistency of the glaze. If you want a thinner glaze, add more lemon juice.
- Add lavender. Lavender is a delightful combo with lemon and Earl Grey. Add a teaspoon of culinary lavender to the dry ingredients, or make a lavender glaze by adding it along with the lemon juice.
- Storage. Scones are always best eaten freshly baked. If you must store them, do so in an airtight container or individually wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freezing. Unglazed scones freeze very well. There are two ways to freeze scones: baked or unbaked.
- To freeze baked scones: Allow them to cool completely, then flash freeze them on a baking sheet for 30 minutes. Pack the semi-frozen scones in airtight freezer bags or containers until you are ready to use them. Remove them from their container or bags to defrost so they don’t get soggy. You can also wrap the scones individually for freezing, which is convenient if you just want one or two at a time.
- To freeze unbaked scones: make the dough, cut it into shapes, and flash freeze on a baking sheet. Then transfer the unbaked frozen scones to a freezer bag or container. When it’s time to bake the scones, put the frozen scones on a baking sheet while the oven preheats. Bake the scones from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.
Serving Suggestions
The obvious pairing with Earl Grey scones is a cup of tea, of course! Enjoy with a steaming mug of Earl Grey tea, classic English black tea, or a floral herbal tea like lavender tea. For a frosty summer beverage, enjoy your scones with a refreshing glass of lavender lemonade or blueberry iced tea.
Slather your scones in lemon curd or clotted cream and jam. Or make these scones a part of your afternoon tea party. Serve with finger sandwiches, smoked salmon on toast points, and fruit like fresh blackberries or blueberries. Along with your favorite tea, of course.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
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Earl Grey Scones – Lemon Glazed
Earl Grey tea infuses these tender scones with a delicate but delicious flavour note, and a lemony glaze completes this tea time treat.
Prevent your screen from going dark
Servings: 12
Calories: 229kcal
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400° Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or dust with flour
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, tea, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
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Using a pastry blender, cut cold butter into the flour mixture until crumbly
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In a smaller bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and vanilla
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Add buttermilk mixture to the dry mixture. Stir swiftly with a fork until dough comes together.
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On a lightly floured surface, lightly pat dough into a rectangle, about 9″ x 6″
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Trim the edges of the rectangle to straighten, then cut the rectangle into three equal pieces.
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Cut each piece of dough into two squares. Cut each square diagonally into four triangles. Transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheet.
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Transfer the triangles to the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the center of oven 18-20 minutes until golden.
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Transfer to a rack and allow to cool
Lemon Glaze
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In a bowl, combine icing sugar, and lemon juice.
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Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones.
Notes
- Use cold, not room temperature, ingredients. Make sure that your butter, eggs, and milk are cold straight from the fridge. The butter should melt in the oven, not during mixing. This will result in flaky, tender scones, which is the goal.
- Mix the dough by hand. You can quickly overwork scone dough when you blend the ingredients in a food processor, so I highly recommend you use a pastry cutter and wooden spoon instead. You could also freeze the butter and shred it with a cheese grater or box grater.
- Chill the dough. Again, for the same reason, if your kitchen is warm, chill the shaped scone dough in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
- Shape the dough with your hands, not a rolling pin. It’s easy to overwork the dough if you roll it out, so I always pat it gently with my hands until it’s the right shape and thickness.
- Use a pizza cutter. Cutting the triangle scones with a pizza cutter is much easier and neater. A sharp bench scraper would also work.
- Achieve the best texture. A good scone will have a nice rise, with a crisp, golden exterior, and a tender, slightly cakey interior.
- Brush the scone dough with an egg wash, buttermilk, or heavy cream. This is optional, but it will create a deeper golden brown color on the tops of your scones.
- Don’t use old tea. Although tea doesn’t go bad, it loses flavor over time, especially if the tea bags are not individually packaged. If the tea is too old, the scones won’t have much flavor.
- Let the scones cool before glazing. The glaze will melt and slide off hot scones, so the scones need to cool first.
- Adjust the consistency of the glaze. If you want a thinner glaze, add more lemon juice.
- Add lavender. Lavender is a delightful combo with lemon and Earl Grey. Add a teaspoon of culinary lavender to the dry ingredients, or make a lavender glaze by adding it along with the lemon juice.
- Storage. Scones are always best eaten freshly baked. If you must store them, do so in an airtight container or individually wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 days.
-
- To freeze baked scones: Allow them to cool completely, then flash freeze them on a baking sheet for 30 minutes. Pack the semi-frozen scones in airtight freezer bags or containers until you are ready to use them. Remove them from their container or bags to defrost so they don’t get soggy. You can also wrap the scones individually for freezing, which is convenient if you just want one or two at a time.
- To freeze unbaked scones: make the dough, cut it into shapes, and flash freeze on a baking sheet. Then transfer the unbaked frozen scones to a freezer bag or container. When it’s time to bake the scones, put the frozen scones on a baking sheet while the oven preheats. Bake the scones from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1scone | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 289IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg
Colleen Milne
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