These 1912 Scotch scones require just six ingredients and deliver tender, lightly sweetened triangular scones with a delicate crumb that outperforms modern recipes. These have been a holiday breakfast tradition in my family for years.
The simplicity here is remarkable. Just flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and enough milk to bring everything together into a soft dough. These scones bake up with crispy edges and a tender interior that practically melts on your tongue.
There's a reason this recipe survived over a century. The combination of baking soda and cream of tartar creates a gentle rise without the metallic aftertaste some modern baking powders leave behind. Rolling the dough to exactly half an inch thick ensures each triangle bakes evenly in a moderate oven, developing that gorgeous golden exterior while staying impossibly soft inside.
Baking Scones in the Coal-Fired 1912 Kitchen
In 1912, baking these simple scones required skills today's cooks never need to learn. The coal-fired range demanded constant attention. A baker would have started her fire hours before mixing dough, layering crumpled newspaper, kindling, and coal, then adjusting iron dampers to coax the right temperature. She'd monitor the fire every ten minutes, adding more coal and brushing ashes through the grate to maintain steady heat. Testing oven temperature meant holding a hand inside for a count of seconds or tossing in a handful of flour to watch how quickly it browned.
The physical labor was relentless. During just six days of cooking, a household would burn through 292 pounds of coal, requiring someone to haul it from the cellar or coal shed. Women sifted ashes, carried fuel, and spent over two hours blacking the stove's surface to prevent rust. Only 16 percent of American households had electricity in 1912. Most families still used outhouses, and women hauled water from city faucets or hand pumps for every mixing bowl and cleanup.
Economic pressures shaped what families ate. The average household earned just $750 per year, yet food prices were soaring. Between 1890 and 1912, pork chop prices had jumped 118 percent, eggs climbed 86 percent, and bacon increased 115 percent. Flour remained relatively affordable at 23 cents for a six-pound sack, making simple flour-based recipes like these scones economical choices. Women shopped daily at local mercantiles since iceboxes kept food cold for only a day or two. They made nearly all baked goods from scratch because eating out remained a rare luxury.
The Titanic sank that April, dominating newspaper headlines. Women couldn't yet vote, though suffragettes grew more vocal. Christine Frederick's "New Housekeeping" series in Ladies' Home Journal applied factory efficiency principles to domestic work, but most kitchens still featured freestanding furniture rather than built-in cabinets. Recipes traveled through handwritten notes tucked into drawers or church cookbooks passed between neighbors, valued for their reliability and thrift. This particular scone formula would have been mixed in a heavy ceramic bowl, kneaded briefly on a wooden board kept specifically for pastry work, then transferred to a well-seasoned metal sheet and slid into the unpredictable heat of that coal-fired oven.
What Makes These Vintage Scotch Scones Special
Traditional Scotch Scones Recipe from 1912
Tender, lightly sweetened triangular scones made with a simple combination of flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. This authentic 1912 recipe creates delicate scones with crispy edges and a soft interior, perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea.
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt (1/4 teaspoon)
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup whole milk, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt until evenly combined. - Add 1/3 cup milk to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or fork until the mixture begins to come together. Add more milk gradually, one tablespoon at a time, until you have a moderately stiff dough that holds together but isn’t sticky.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board or clean countertop. With floured hands, gently knead 2-3 times just to bring it together smoothly.
- Pat or roll the dough into a circle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a sharp knife dipped in flour, cut the circle into 8 equal triangular wedges.
- Transfer the triangles to your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the scones are cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before serving warm.
Equipment
Buy Now → 
Nordic Ware Scottish Scone & Cornbread Pan
Buy Now →
Porcelain 3 Tier Dessert Stand
Buy Now →Notes
- The original 1912 recipe calls for “enough milk to moisten,” so start with less and add more as needed. The dough should be soft but not wet.
- For a richer scone, you can add 2-3 tablespoons of softened butter to the dry ingredients before adding milk.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Scottish, American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scone
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 0.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
You Might Also Enjoy
How to Make Perfect 1912 Scotch Scones
Recipe Variations
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional Scotch scones use baking soda and cream of tartar instead of baking powder, creating a more delicate texture. They're also less sweet than American scones and contain less butter, making them lighter and more versatile for both sweet and savory applications.
Yes, substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder for the combination of baking soda and cream of tartar. The texture will be very similar, though some bakers prefer the cleaner flavor the original leavening provides.
Overworking the dough develops too much gluten, resulting in tough scones. Mix just until the ingredients come together and handle the dough as little as possible. Adding too much milk can also create a heavy texture.
Substitute any plant-based milk like almond, oat, or soy milk for the dairy milk. The scones will be slightly less rich but still tender and delicious. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the dough if you want more moisture.
The tops should be golden brown and spring back lightly when touched. The bottoms should be lightly browned but not dark. If you're unsure, insert a toothpick into the center of a scone; it should come out clean or with just a few dry crumbs.
Absolutely. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar with the dry ingredients for sweeter scones. The original 1912 recipe keeps them quite plain, but adjusting to your taste preferences is perfectly acceptable.
Commercial baking powder wasn't widely available or trusted in the early 1900s. Keeping the two leavening agents separate gave bakers more control over freshness since cream of tartar and baking soda stored separately lasted longer than mixed baking powder.
While similar in technique, Scotch scones traditionally contain a small amount of sugar and are slightly sweeter than American buttermilk biscuits. Scones also typically use cream of tartar for leavening rather than buttermilk and baking powder common in biscuits.
Yes, authentic Scotch scones were traditionally cooked on a griddle over moderate heat. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. The texture will be slightly different but equally delicious.
The original recipe specifies half an inch thick, which I've found to be the perfect thickness for even baking. Thinner scones dry out too quickly, while thicker ones don't cook through properly in the recommended time.
What scone memories do you carry from your childhood? Did a grandmother or neighbor bake them fresh for Sunday breakfast or afternoon tea? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments below.
If you make these Traditional Scotch Scones from 1912, please leave a rating and review!
0 comments