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Whether served as a sweet triangular treat or a savory breakfast upgrade, the beloved baked good is perfect any time of the day — and is surprisingly easy to make.

Taking its name from the Stone of Destiny, scones are a classic Scottish quick bread, originally made using oats and baked over a griddle. Today, most versions are flour-based, lightly sweetened, and baked in the oven. And as wonderful as they might be from your favorite bakery, there’s nothing quite like a homemade scone offered at breakfast, teatime, or as a dessert.

With no more than a handful of ingredients, a batch of fluffy scones comes together in no time: Mix the ingredients, shape the dough, then bake. A proper scone works just as well served fresh out of the oven as it does at room temperature alongside a slab of butter or dollop of jam.

Start to finish, a batch of scones can be whipped up in little more than a half hour with flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, butter, and milk or another liquid. Basic as they may seem, the best scones act as a canvas for creativity, showcasing the mastery of the baker. Here are some handy tips to take your scones to the next level.

Use cold ingredients. Like other quick breads, such as biscuits, scones are leavened using a combination of chemistry and technique. Chemical leaveners — baking soda and powder — help the dough rise as it’s combined and baked in a hot oven. Mechanical leavening — the technique by which the ingredients are combined — works by cutting cold fat, primarily butter, for scones into the dough as it’s created, forming layers. As the cold butter melts while the scones bake, it releases steam, literally lifting the layers to create a fluffy, cake-like bread. If the butter, or final dough, is too warm, the butter will melt into the dough before it bakes, making the scones dense and tough.

Whisk, don’t sift, the dry ingredients. When combining the dry ingredients — flour, sugar, salt — whisk them together. Sifting will remove lumps but doesn’t do anything to actually combine the dry base.

Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fork. Combine ingredients using a pastry cutter, also called a pastry blender. This simple tool is composed of four or five parallel wires or steel bands formed in a U-shape and attached to a handle. A pastry cutter makes quick work of cutting the cold butter into the dough before it has a chance to warm up. They’re inexpensive and can be found in cooking stores as well as online. Alternatively, you can cut in the fat using a fork; simply be sure not to smash the butter pieces too much using the tines of the fork.

Stir in any flavorings, then bind with cold liquid. If you’re flavoring your scones, the best time to add extra ingredients is after cutting in the butter. Whether introducing currants, chopped fresh herbs, chocolate chips, or grated ginger, fold these in before adding your liquid. As for the liquid, stir it in just enough so the dough looks like a shaggy mess. Stir too much, and the butter may soften and melt.

Form and bake. Press the dough so it forms a cohesive mass, then shape it into a wheel, and cut the wheel into eight or so wedges. (You can also cut out round or other shapes as desired.) Brush the scones, if desired, with a wash, then bake.

Bread recipes often call for some sort of glaze or “wash” before baking. A recipe may call for an egg wash or sometimes milk, even butter — or a combination. Different washes are used to achieve different results. So, how do you choose the right one for your creation?

Keep it cold. Be sure to keep your dough cold at all times before baking. Slide prepared scones (baking sheet and all) in the fridge for 10 minutes or so before baking just to make sure the ingredients are cold before they go in the oven. Keeping the dough cold will not only prevent tough scones, but they’ll hold their shape better as they bake. You’ll actually get more lift (leavening) if they’ve had a chance to chill before baking.

A recipe for basic scones is below, but feel free to experiment as you get comfortable with the technique. We’ve included a couple of options, including Parmesan-chive scones and ginger rum raisin scones.

The Parmesan-chive flavorings offer a decidedly savory take on scones, and while they work well served warm slathered with butter, they make for a perfect Benedict base: sliced scones stacked with ham, fried eggs, and a quick batch of Hollandaise sauce.

The ginger rum raisin scones also work well served for breakfast or as a treat served warm alongside a scoop of ice cream — a guilty pleasure after all that hard work in the kitchen.

Prep time: 20 minutes. Bake time: 25 minutes. Yield: 8 scones.

Prep time: 30 minutes. Bake time: 25 minutes. Yield: 8 scones.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer, whisk together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until completely combined. With the mixer running, add the sifted powdered sugar, one spoonful at a time, until fully incorporated.

Prep time: 45 minutes. Cook time: 25 minutes. Yield: 8 scones.

Noelle Carter is a chef, food writer, and culinary consultant. She was the longtime test-kitchen director and food writer at the Los Angeles Times and a contributor to The Splendid Table radio series. Follow her on Twitter @noellecarter.

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