Strawberry Scone Loaf Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Strawberry Scone Loaf Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(514)
Notes
Read community notes

Bits of dried strawberry form jammy pockets in the tender crumb of this golden, crunchy-topped treat. Baking it as a loaf instead of individual scones keeps the interior particularly moist, while the edges bake up craggy and brown. Serve it dolloped with softened butter or clotted cream. And while adding jam might seem like overkill, it’s only in the best possible way. (Watch the video of Melissa Clark making strawberry scone loaf here.)

Featured in: These Strawberry Scones Don’t Need Jam to Shine, but It Doesn’t Hurt

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

  • 1cup/125 grams dried strawberries or pitted dates (not freeze-dried; see Tip)
  • 2cups boiling water
  • 2cups/250 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
  • ¼ to ⅓cup/50 to 66 grams granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1tablespoon baking powder
  • ¾teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼teaspoon baking soda
  • ½cup/113 grams very cold unsalted butter
  • cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
  • 1large egg, beaten
  • Butter and clotted cream, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

271 calories; 14 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 342 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Strawberry Scone Loaf Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the upper third. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Place strawberries in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit until soft and pliable, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain, pat dry and coarsely chop.

  3. Step

    3

    Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the butter into the bowl, then toss until mixture resembles oatmeal. Alternatively, pulse all the dry ingredients together in a food processor. Cube the butter, add to the processor, and pulse until the mixture looks like oatmeal. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

  4. Step

    4

    Add strawberries and toss well.

  5. Step

    5

    In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir until all the dry flour bits are incorporated, but the dough is still shaggy. Using your hands, knead and press the dough a few times while it’s still in the bowl until the dough just holds together.

  6. Step

    6

    Dump the dough out onto the prepared sheet pan. Pat the dough into a round loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Using a sharp knife, deeply score the loaf into 8 wedges (but don’t cut all the way through). Brush the loaf all over with buttermilk and sprinkle generously with sugar.

  7. Step

    7

    Bake until golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly. Cut or break into wedges and serve warm with butter and clotted cream.

Tip

  • If you can’t find dried strawberries, pitted dates will give you a similar texture and level of sweetness. But you can also substitute other dried fruit.

Ratings

4

out of 5

514

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Debbie

I wanted to wrap separately so I cut into wedges before baking. That ensured that all edges had a crust. I also added a bit of lemon zest. They were good.

Tom

I half or quarter strawberries fresh from my garden, put them on a sheet pan, and the roast them at 250 until they are quite dried out. I have used the resulting liquid as the liquid added to the flour when making the dough, but I want to try this buttermilk idea next time.

Jane

is there a way to do this with fresh strawberries?

Louise

Can't be that hard to dry strawberries at home, can it? Chop and put in a slow oven?

rose

this is so much better baked in a buttered cast iron skillet

Marcia

Nuts.com has excellent dried strawberries and any other dried or freeze dried fruit you may desire. Sometimes Trader Joe's has them. They're very good and much less expensive.

nimble

Excellent scones, I'm a first-time scone baker and I followed the recipe except for using dried blueberries. Wow, fantastic. They were all eaten within the hour.

Sue

Step 3 tells you how to easily do this by hand. Grate the butter on a box grater and toss with the flour.

cook.bot

I've been shaping scones this way for my entire life; so much easier than punching out rounds or squares, and leaves the centers so much moister. I like mine with chopped dried apricots (no need to rehydrate), which gives you nice tart chewy bits among the flaky scone.

TWM

When I make scones of any type, I always reduce the AP flour by half and substitute whole wheat flour. It makes a better crumb and adds a bit of nutrition as well.

Phill

I have an unopened bag of raspberry "Jammy Bits" from King Arthur. I wonder how those would work as a substitute for the dried strawberries.

Baker

Delicious with substitution of figs for strawberries!

Peter

I confess to some mystification regarding scones. The ones sold in the United States resemble the ones shown here, crumbly, almost crunchy, but the ones I see on British television and print are small, pale, and round. I have made them from recipes off the web for "classic" and "buttermilk" scones and the result has been a very tender (OK, I do use pastry flour) and light item a bit like a slightly sweet fluffy biscuit. They're so delectable when fresh baked I can't keep from gorging on them.

Lauren

This is my go-to easy scone recipe. It is very versitile - I have used dried dates (and added a bit of cinnamon to the dry ingredients (I know, not traditional, but delicious) dried sour cherries and added a bit of cardamom, or dried apricots - whatever dried fruit I have on hand. I also use plant butter (dairy allergy in my house) and substitute 1/2 c. of oat flour, 1/2 cup of oat bran, and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, along with 1/2 cup of white flour. They come out great every time!

Roberto Cipriano

I make this recipe without strawberries and instead use currants and pecans. Otherwise it's exactly the same recipe. It's fantastic! Brush the buttermilk generously before sprinkling the sugar on top.

carolyn

I love this recipe except I cut them into separate scones - I shape the same way but cut all the way through and give a little space to each scone. I love the crunch that results on the outside of each scone! I use Nuts.com for my strawberries, and if I keep them around, I can usually bake this quickly with ingredients I have on hand to satisfy a baked good craving. I’m making mini versions to bring for my son’s birthday at preschool with the recipe!

Emma

Delicious and moist. I second the Nuts.com suggestion for getting good dried anything - I made this with their dried pears - amazing flavour

josie

Used sour cream in place of Buttermilk!

Diana Z

Scones are one of my favorite things to bake and have as a special treat with my tea. I like mine more biscuit-like than those hard hockey-puck ones found in coffee shops. I also prefer them not overly sweet (ie no frosting, drizzle, etc). These scones were perfect! I followed it exactly as written other than using dried cherries instead of strawberries. I will definitely be making these again and again!

Carol

This was great. I made it in the food processor, with half dried cranberries and freeze-dried strawberries, and it was so easy! Also used vanilla kefir instead of buttermilk.Will definitelly make again!

Sumisu

Added too much liquid when the original 1/3 c buttermilk was insufficient. The result was a much more tender consistency. I could not make the cuts in the dough, so I settled for indentations. - It was flatter, to be sure, but crunchy and delightful at edges, moist and tender within! - My son and I split and ate two, just to make sure the things were a fail. - Perhaps a third one later with coffee or tea at teatime…

SJH

Working on getting my fav rhubarb scone. Watched video. Helpful! Followed recipe BUT sprinkled cardamom & orange zest when I added a generous cup of rhubarb vs strawberries and hint of vanilla into the liquid where I used cream vs buttermilk. Let dough rest while preheating oven. Then made circle. Turned out yummy, crisp on outside and light on inside and so much easier than circles! Thanks.

Mik

Why can’t I use freeze dried strawberries?

khalid

Great scones. Had to make buttermilk with yogurt and milk but it was ok. Didn’t have dry strawberries so added dates, fresh strawberries and some cranberries. Overall it came out great.. my first time and felt so good sharing with the family. Next time, need to make a bigger batch if I want to share with the neighbors.

kirk

Made again and again wonderful. Made it twice is a Saturday morning for guests arriving at noon: one with dried strawberries and one with dried sour cherries. Both great. At the end of prep, when kneading I purposely flattened then folded the shaggy dough 5 times to get some layering into the scone texture … it worked … all gone by mid-afternoon. Thanks

Olivia

Good flavors (kind of like slightly sweeter biscuits), but my scones melded back togetherUsed 1/4 cup sugar in the dough and sprinkled liberally on top, but I'd use more sugar next timeOrdered dried sweetened strawberries off Amazon

sal

I used dates and a milk/Greek yogurt combo. They turned out beautiful looking, but pretty dry.Maybe I didn’t thin out my yogurt enough?

Silvia

This are the best scones I have tried up to now. The only change I made was to add grated orange peel and substituted the fruit for cranberries.

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Strawberry Scone Loaf Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What to avoid when making scones? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Baking Scones
  1. Using anything but cold ingredients. The secret to the flakiest scones is to start with cold ingredients — cold butter, cold eggs, and cold cream. ...
  2. Only using all-purpose flour. ...
  3. Overmixing the dough. ...
  4. Not chilling the dough before baking. ...
  5. Baking them ahead of time.
May 1, 2019

Why aren t my scones light and fluffy? ›

Avoid using a food processor to mix scones: A food processor will work, but it often overworks the scone dough. We recommend using your hands until the mixture comes together. Overworking the dough will lead to scones that are tough and chewy, rather than light and flaky.

Why is my scone dough so dry? ›

Don't overwork the dough!

When the wet and dry ingredients have been mixed, try to not overwork the dough, it makes the scones very tough and quite dry. Even if the dough looks crumbly, that's a good thing!

What type of flour is best for scones? ›

Ingredient selection

Use all-purpose flour for a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely, both in and out of the oven. To make more delicate, lower-rising, cake-like scones, substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour.

Should you chill scone dough before baking? ›

Not chilling the dough before baking: to really ace your scones, it helps to chill your dough again before it's baked. Using cold ingredients does help, but your hands will warm up the dough when you're working with it and the extra step of chilling will help you get the best result.

How to get scones to rise higher? ›

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

Why is clotted cream illegal? ›

Following a 1987 ruling from the Food and Drug Administration, the interstate sale of raw milk was banned in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, raw milk can contain harmful bacteria and germs, which can be especially risky for certain individuals like those who are pregnant or elderly ...

How long should you rest scones before baking? ›

Recipes for scones sometimes provide a make-ahead option that involves refrigerating the dough overnight so it can simply be shaped and then popped into the oven the next day. But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.

What is the purpose of adding an egg to scone dough? ›

Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the scones rise and become light and fluffy. Sugar: Adds sweetness and enhances the flavor of the scones. Butter: Adds richness, flavor, and a tender crumb to the scones. Eggs: Provides structure to the dough and helps bind the ingredients together.

Why do my scones go flat in the oven? ›

Placing a dough in a cool oven that then slowly heats up actually affects the rising agent. Make sure your oven is at the right temperature you will be baking the scones at before you put them in. Also having an oven that is too hot or too cold will affect the baking of your scones immensely.

Why do you grate butter for scones? ›

This is what makes the dough flaky.” Although Chang cuts cubed butter into the dry mix with a stand mixer at Flour, she says that, with the grating method, “you ensure that some butter stays in small pieces, for the steam and puff; and some butter starts to soften and mix into the dough, for tenderness.” For the best ...

How do you get a good rise on scones? ›

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

How do you make scones rise and not spread? ›

Pack the scones closely on the baking tray so they will support each other as they rise rather than spreading. Make scones the day you need them – they taste far better warm.

Why do my scones spread out and not rise? ›

First, make sure you're using fresh baking powder, one that has been opened less than 6 months ago. Also, if you knead the dough too much, the scones won't rise as tall. Knead gently, and just enough to bring the dough together. Adding more flour also prevents the dough from rising as high, so only dust lightly.

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