My aunt the home baker told me to stop using baking powder in scones and I argued for an hour before testing it

She said baking soda only for flaky scones, no powder at all. I told her she was crazy because every recipe I'd seen used both. Made two batches last Saturday, one with just soda and one with powder, and hers came out way taller and lighter. Anyone else have a family member who swears by some counterintuitive baking rule that actually works?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor_mitchell801mo ago

Wait is this why my scones always turn out like hockey pucks that could double as doorstops? My grandma has been dropping hints about "the old way" for years but I figured she was just being stubborn about her depression era recipes. I tried her method last weekend with just baking soda and buttermilk and my scones actually looked like they belonged in a bakery instead of a construction site. She didn't even say "I told you so" which honestly hurt worse than if she had.

thomas.piper1mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly @taylor_mitchell80 I gotta push back a little here because baking soda and buttermilk is just one way to get there, lol. Your grandma's "old way" might work for her specific recipe and even her kitchen's altitude and humidity, but that doesn't mean commercial baking powder is the enemy. I've had great scones with double acting baking powder and cold butter, they're just a different texture, more cakey than crumbly. If you nailed it with the soda and buttermilk, awesome, but don't throw out the baking powder forever, maybe your grandma just had better butter or knew to not overwork the dough.