Food blog says egg-free scone dough made lighter batch

A family food blog says scones made without eggs in the dough were softer, more delicate and rose more evenly than a batch made with eggs, after comparing the two approaches.

All Kitchen Colours said the egg-containing scones tasted richer and were less crumbly, but also chewier and more likely to spread as they baked. The bloggers preferred the egg-free batch, describing its texture as light and saying it rose upwards.

The comparison followed the blog’s testing of recipes from food blogs and chefs, including Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. The bloggers concluded that eggs were not needed in the scone dough, although their recipe calls for a beaten egg to brush on top before baking. That egg wash is separate from the dough ingredients.

All Kitchen Colours also recommends using baking powder as the raising agent rather than combining it with bicarbonate of soda and citric acid. The blog explains that bicarbonate of soda needs an acidic ingredient and liquid to react, producing carbon dioxide that helps dough rise. It says bicarbonate of soda can have a soapy or metallic taste if not balanced by enough acid, and that combining it with baking powder and citric acid may leave an unpleasant aftertaste.

The recipe uses 500g of plain flour, five teaspoons of baking powder, 75g of caster sugar, 150g of chilled butter and up to 250ml of full-fat milk. It also lists salt and one beaten egg for glazing. The recipe says the milk should be added gradually, as different flours absorb different quantities and the full amount may not be needed.

To prepare the dough, the flour is combined with the baking powder, sugar and salt. Chilled butter is rubbed into the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, then milk is worked in carefully until the dry flour has been incorporated. The instructions caution against adding more liquid once the dough has come together.

The dough is moved to a floured surface and given about five gentle folds before being shaped into a disc roughly 2.5cm to 3cm deep. The scones are cut out and placed on a lined baking tray. The recipe advises handling leftover dough sparingly because further working can make it firmer.

The instructions suggest brushing the tops with beaten egg and, if time and refrigerator space allow, chilling the shaped scones for 15 minutes before baking. The oven is set to 200C, or 180C for a fan oven, and the stated baking time is 12 to 13 minutes, until the scones have risen and turned golden brown.

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