Freezing scone dough or biscuit dough prior to baking is one of the most important things to do if you want light and tender scones or biscuits. Other critical steps include using frozen butter, and handling or working the dough as little as you possibly can.
Why should you freeze scone dough or biscuit dough?
By freezing scone dough or biscuit dough prior to baking, several nice things happen. Freezing the dough prior to baking keeps the butter solid and firm, which helps create light and tender scones and biscuits. Having the butter stay solid until you bake also means that the scones and biscuits will rise, rather than spread on the cookie sheet.
Freezing scone dough or biscuit dough prior to baking also has the advantage of allowing the dough to ‘rest’ and the gluten to relax, again helping to create light scones and biscuits.
So how, exactly, do you freeze scone or biscuit dough??
Once your dough is made, with any and all of the goodies you are adding to your scones or biscuits (fruits, spices, nuts, etc.), divide your dough as directed and pat out each piece into a round of dough ~6″ in diameter, and 3/4-1″ thick.
Cut your dough with a long sharp knife (such as a long vegetable chopping knife). Please note the key word sharp. You want to make clean cuts through the dough, and not drag the top of the dough down through the cut surface. If you are using a round biscuit cutter, the same principle applies. Use a cutter with a sharp lower edge, and press straight down–do NOT twist.
Lay your cut scones or biscuits on a cookie sheet, and place directly in the freezer. You may gently cover it with some plastic wrap or lay a sheet of parchment paper over the top. Do not press your covering layer into the dough–it will be fine left unwrapped, even overnight.
Once the dough is firm, get a freezer safe bag and label the front with indelible marker. Include the date (this is important!) as well as the flavor name. Add the baking temperature and approximate time so you don’t have to look up this information later.
Remove the frozen dough from the cookie sheet and place into the freezer bag. Bleed out the air, and return the labeled bag to the freezer. Mark the calendar–you have 3-4 weeks to use the dough.
And now–how do I bake?
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. IF your oven runs hot, drop the temperature down 10-15 degrees. You never want to drop below 400 to bake, as both scones and biscuits need a fast, hot bake.
Once the oven is hot, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Go to the freezer and remove as many scones or biscuits as you want to bake. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, sugar crystals, or flavored sugars if desired. Place immediately into the oven.
You do NOT want to thaw the dough before it goes into the oven. There are two reasons for this. Scones and biscuits have a high butter content and we want the butter to melt IN the oven, not before. If the butter starts to melt before you put the dough in the oven, it will soak into the parchment paper. Once the scones and biscuits start to bake, the melted butter will scorch and then burn. The result–black bottom scones or biscuits!
Set your timer for the MINIMUM baking time you need. Generally I find frozen scones and biscuits need 18-19 minutes to bake, so I set my timer for 15 minutes. I can quickly check the progress, add a couple of minutes, and stay nearby. When the timer goes off a second time, do another quick check for done-ness and add another minute or two as needed. You want them to be just done in the center–not doughy.
You can test for done-ness with the ‘wiggle’ test. When you think they are close to being done, quickly reach in and gently grab the top of a scone and try to wiggle it side-to-side. If it wiggles, it is still doughy in the center. Quickly close the oven door, add a minute or two to your timer and let them continue to bake. Keep adding a minute or two until the center is firm. You do not want your nicely puffed scones or biscuits to collapse as they begin to cool.
FAQs
Lay your cut scones or biscuits on a cookie sheet, and place directly in the freezer. You may gently cover it with some plastic wrap or lay a sheet of parchment paper over the top. Do not press your covering layer into the dough–it will be fine left unwrapped, even overnight.
Is it better to freeze scones, baked or unbaked? ›
Should I bake them before I freeze them? Thanks for any suggestions and advice! Editor: Scones are rich enough that they freeze very well unbaked! You don't need to thaw them completely before baking, just let them sit on the baking sheet while the oven is heating to start to take the chill off.
Can you freeze biscuit dough in the UK? ›
The baked biscuits can be stored in an air tight container and are best eaten within 1-2 days. Alternatively, freeze your biscuit dough (wrapped in cling film) for up to 2 months. Allow to defrost in the fridge before baking.
Should you chill scone dough before baking? ›
Keep scones cold before putting them in the oven: For best results, chill the mixture in the fridge before baking, this will help to stiffen up the butter again, which will stop your scones from slumping as soon as they hit the oven's heat.
Can you keep uncooked scone dough in the fridge? ›
If the dough is chilled and left overnight then the scones may not rise as much when baked, as the raising agent will have expired. Instead, we would suggest freezing the scones and baking them from frozen, as freezing helps to suspend the action of the bicarbonate of soda.
Are scones good after being frozen? ›
Nigella's Buttermilk Scones (from Kitchen), along with most scones, freeze well and you can either freeze them before or after baking, as it suits you. If you prefer to bake the scones first then let them cool completely and transfer them to a resealable bag or airtight container before freezing for up to 1 month.
Can you freeze raw biscuit dough? ›
Can You Freeze Biscuit Dough? Yes, it's true! You can freeze scratch-made biscuit dough for a rainy day. After cutting out your biscuits, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Can you freeze raw scone dough? ›
By freezing scone dough or biscuit dough prior to baking, several nice things happen. Freezing the dough prior to baking keeps the butter solid and firm, which helps create light and tender scones and biscuits.
How to thaw frozen biscuit dough? ›
Defrost any type of dough using a microwave, a fridge, or an oven. If you're in a hurry, the microwave is your best bet to quickly defrost your dough. The fridge will take the longest but requires the smallest amount of effort. Using the oven will ensure a thorough thaw but takes much longer than the microwave.
Should you chill biscuit dough before baking? ›
And the longer it takes the butter to melt as the biscuits bake, the more chance they have to rise high and maintain their shape. So, chill... and chill.
Top tricks I learnt from the experts for baking perfect scones:
- Resist the twist.
- Use frozen butter.
- Don't overwork the dough.
- Freeze the dough. ...
- Create rise and shine.
- Follow this recipe.
- Reduce the juice.
- Fresh is best.
Just a reminder: Don't overwork the dough or the scones will turn out rubbery – or worse, bullety and hard. Cut out your scones cleanly. Twisting the cutter can impair the rise. If you use a fluted cutter, you can't twist it.
Why are my scones not light and fluffy? ›
Overworking the dough: when you overwork your dough, your scones can come out tough and chewy, rather than that desired light, crumbly texture. The trick is to use light pressure and only the work the dough until it just comes together.
Why don't my scones rise high? ›
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 get the best rise on scones? ›
Much like cinnamon rolls, arranging your scones side by side, just touching one another, helps in making the scones rise evenly, and higher. Since the heat causes the scones to rise, if they are placed side by side, the scones will be forced to rise upwards, not outwards.
Can you make scones the night before and bake in the morning? ›
However, the decrease in rise is so slight that it doesn't make a noticeable difference. In fact, you can even shape this scone dough into wedges and refrigerate overnight before baking. Freeze Before Baking: Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour.
How do you freeze homemade scones? ›
Brush the top of the scones with milk, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar, just as you would right before baking. Then cut each round into wedges. Tent the scones with plastic wrap or a reusable cover, and freeze until solid, which will take a couple of hours.
How do you stop your scones from drying out when baking? ›
Don't overbake! If you bake scones too long, they'll dry out, so keep an eye on them through the oven window. (Don't open the oven to look — it'll let out the heat.) “Bake your scones until they are just golden brown,” Bethany recommends.
How to bake off frozen scones? ›
Electric Oven
- Pre-heat your oven to 360F.
- Place frozen scones on a tray, lined with parchment paper, on the center of the middle rack.
- After 5 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350F.
- Total baking time for the regular size scones will be between 25-30 minutes depending on your oven.
Once all of your scones are inside of the container, take a single paper towel and lay it lightly on top of your scones. The paper towels will absorb the moisture in the scones and keep them from getting mushy while they're drying out in the container.
