Lilys Scones In Advance

Our answer

Nigella's recipe for Lily's Scones (from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS) gives light scones with a fine crumb. They are at their best when freshly baked, though you can bake them in the morning, let them cool and then freshen them in an oven heated to 150c/130c Fan/ 300F for about 10 minutes, until warmed through. We would prefer to use full fat (whole) or semi-skimmed (reduced fat) milk for the scones.

You could make the dough in the morning and cut out the scones and refrigerate them before baking. However the scones contain bicarbonate of soda, which acts quickly when it comes into contact with liquid and it will lose some of its raising power as it stands. Consequently the scones may not be quite as light. The alternative would be to make and cut out the scones and then put them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them loosely with food wrap and put them in the freezer. In the afternoon pull the scones out of the freezer, remove the wrap and bake direct from frozen, adding an extra 2-3 minutes to the baking time. You can also freeze the unbaked scones for up to 1 month, just transfer them to a freezer bag once they are solid for longer storage.