English Earl Grey Scones Recipe with a Lavender Glaze at Home (2024)

For those who have been to England, Scotland or Ireland, you know that a well-baked scones can be just this side of heaven. A dry scone can leave you parched and never wanting more.

Luckily, I’ve had amazing scones during my travels, as I have a weakness for baked goods. When it comes to scone flavors, you can go sweet or savory, citrus or herbal. I always come back to my favorite Earl Grey scones though, even at home.

Bringing a UK tradition back home

Traditional scones are served with clotted cream and jam, or a load of butter and jam (my preferred method). They can be big, small, puffed up like an American biscuit, or sometimes they just look like muffin tops.

No matter what, you can never go wrong with a warm scone and a cup of tea on a cold and rainy afternoon. Pop on The Holiday or The Crown on Netflix, and you can pretend you are back in England too.

The Trick to Earl Grey Scones

When going about making the best Earl Grey scone recipe, you need to remember one thing– all ingredients have to be cold. Flour, butter, milk– all cold. You are using Earl Grey tea steeped in milk; make sure it is cold before you add it to your dry ingredients.

What you put into a scone can also effect how they turn out. This is when baking chemistry comes into play. While I use the same base recipe for all of my scones, each has to be altered when adding in fresh lemon, lavender, tea leaves and herbs.

Why Earl Grey Tea?

The idea came to me one night. Why couldn’t I make a scone that incorporated lavender and Earl Grey tea, similar to the tea latte I love at a local coffee shop?

A lavender glaze with just a hint of lemon zest on top, would enhance the bright flavor of the bergamot-infused tea.

What’s the best Earl Grey tea to use?

I’m obsessed with Teapigs Earl Grey Strong. You can get it in tea bags or as a loose leaf tea, both of which will work in this recipe. It’s very aromatic, which means the Earl Grey flavor really pops when you bake it.

You don’t want that flavor to get lost because you used a cheap bag of ground up tea leaves. Use the good stuff!

Earl Grey Scone Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour (cold)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup of white sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp Earl Grey loose leaf tea (buy it now) or 3 tea bags
• 1 tbsp dried lavender
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter (frozen)
• 1/2 cup of milk (2% or whole milk works best)
• 1/4 cup of sour cream
• Egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp milk)

Earl Grey Scone Instructions

1. Place milk in a sauce pan, bringing it to a simmer, just below a boil.
2. Pour warm milk over 2 earl grey tea bags (2 tbsp loose-leaf tea) in a heat-proof jar or coffee mug. Add 1 tbsp dried lavender.
3. Allow tea milk mixture to steep for at least 10 minutes, and cool completely.
4. Preheat oven to 400°F
5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
6. Grind 1 tbsp of Earl Grey tea leaves in a mortar or food processor
7. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, earl grey tea leaves and salt in a large, chilled bowl
8. Grate the cold butter into the flour mixture.
9. Use your fingers or a pastry blender to combine flour mixture and butter, creating a crumbly, pea-size mix.
10. Combine cooled tea milk mixture and sour cream.
11. Pour tea-infused milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir gently with your fingers or a fork until just combined.
12. Flour your hands, and start making 2 inch round balls of scone dough. You can turn your dough out onto a lightly flour surface, but don’t allow too much flour to mix in. The mix should be sticky.
13. Space your scone dough balls apart at least 3 inches (they will spread) on your prepared baking sheets.
14. Flatten the scone balls a little with your hand.
15. Brush the tops of each scone with the egg wash (1 egg + 1 tbsp of milk, whisked together).
16. Let your Earl Grey scones rest for 10 minutes BEFORE baking.
17. Bake scones for 10-12 minutes, until tops are golden brown (you may need to go to 15 minutes, depending on your oven)
18. Place scones on a wire rack to cool before glazing, or serve immediately without glaze.

How to make Lavender Glaze

Ingredients

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 – 1 tbsp dried lavender
• Zest of 1 lemon

Glaze Directions

1. Place powdered sugar (AKA confectioners sugar) and 1/2-1 tbsp of dried lavender in a food processor to combine, and make lavender flowers smaller.
2. Place your lavender sugar mix in a small bowl and add the milk, whisking together with a fork to make a thick glaze.
3. Add the zest of one lemon on the top and give it a quick mix with a fork.
4. Once your scones have cooled a bit, dip your scones halfway into the lavender glaze. You can also use a spoon to drizzle the glaze on top if you like.