Fried Scones with Cinnamon Honey Butter

Less of a hassle than doughnuts, less virtuous than scones, just right for lazy weekend revelry.

By
Alexandra Penfold
Alexandra Penfold
Alexandra Penfold is a literary agent, author, blogger, and recipe developer who has contributed an extensive number of baking and candy recipes to Serious Eats. 
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Updated March 15, 2024
A fried scone, glazed with cinnamon honey butter.

Serious Eats / Alexandra Penfold

Why It Works

  • Frying in small batches ensures the scones cook thoroughly and consistently to a dark, golden-brown hue.
  • Browning the butter before mixing in honey and cinnamon gives the glaze a delicious nutty flavor.

When polling my friends for their favorite regional sweets, one of my pals from Utah mentioned loving "fried scones." Fried scones. The very name brings to mind what might happen if you gave Brits access to the best of Paula Deen's archives. I'll admit I was immediately skeptical. I have respect for a good scone, but the honest truth is that most scones are bone dry and not terribly tasty. Fortunately a fried scone is not really a scone at all—it's more of a yeasted doughnut drenched in cinnamon-laced honey butter. And I'd be hard-pressed to find anything wrong with that.

Once you get past the name, fried scones are an easy breakfast or brunchtime sweet that can be whipped up in less time than their doughnut brethren. While yeast-raised doughnuts generally call for two rises, fried scones only need one and still turn out plump, puffy, and pleasing. While the shape can vary from triangle to square to freeform (some places even make them as big as a dinner plate!), they are invariably a bit denser and chewier than Krispy Kreme fare.

The origins of the fried scone are muddled. Popular among Utah Mormons, it's thought that they might have been brought back by missionaries who worked in Navajo communities because of their similarities to Native American fry bread. With their often rustic appearance and simple ingredient list, another theory is that they were introduced by the pioneers during the westward expansion. Whatever their provenance, so loved are these scones in Utah that there was even a 24-hour fast food chain called The Sconecutter that served up hot scones (white or wheat, solo or as the base for a variety of sandwich fillings) from the late 70s until their closure in 2020. My friend recalled her first Sconecutter visit saying, "The first time I ate one, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven."

While you can make fried scones from refrigerated or frozen yeast roll dough, making them from scratch doesn't require that much more effort. Sprinkle them with powdered sugar or, better yet, drizzle them with a cinnamony browned honey butter. Like most fried foods, these scones don't keep well, but fortunately they also don't last long, especially when prepared for a hungry crowd.

April 2012

Recipe Details

Fried Scones with Cinnamon Honey Butter

Prep 10 mins
Cook 35 mins
Active 40 mins
Rising Time 65 mins
Total 110 mins
Serves 24 servings

Ingredients

For the Scones:

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (approximately 12 1/2 ounces)

  • 2 1/4 cups bread flour (approximately 12 1/2 ounces)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

  • 4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (2 standard sized envelopes)

  • 1/3 cup melted butter (approximately 5 1/3 tablespoons), cooled

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

  • 2 quarts canola oil, for frying (you may need more depending on size of pot)

For the Glaze:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

  • 6 ounces clover honey

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, bread flour, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt. Set aside. Rinse bowl of stand mixer in warm water to take away the chill. Oil large bowl with cooking spray or vegetable oil and set aside.

  2. Combine milk and water in a small saucepan over medium low heat and cook until mixture it reaches approximately 110 to 115°F (43 to 46°C), stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning (it should feel hot but not scalding to your touch). Pour warmed milk mixture in the bowl of stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast evenly over liquid mixture and then sprinkle remaining tablespoon of sugar on top. Let dissolve for 5 minutes.

  3. Add melted and cooled butter and vanilla to milk. Fit dough hook on stand mixer and stir to mix. With mixer running on low, add flour mixture one cup at a time. If dough isn't pulling away from sides of the bowl, add an additional 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour. Dough will be somewhat sticky but should be workable. Transfer dough to prepared bowl. Spray top with cooking spray then cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place and let rise until dough has doubled in size, about an hour.

  4. For the Glaze: In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted, continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter has browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk in honey and cinnamon until thoroughly incorporated. Keep warm while you finish the scones.

  5. Turn out dough on a well-floured work surface. Roll dough out into a large rectangle about 1/2-inch-thick. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut out 24 triangles.

  6. Pour canola oil into a large dutch oven to a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil to 360°F (182°C). Use a heat resistant spatula or wire-mesh spider to carefully drop scones in, one at a time, cooking a maximum of 3 at once. Cook until first side is a dark golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then using heat resistant tongs turn the scones and cook until second side is deep golden brown, another minute. Remove from oil letting any excess oil drain off then transfer to a wire rack for slight cooling. Test your first scone to make sure that the insides are completely cooked, if not, return to oil and continue to cook, adjusting cooking time for all future scones. Transfer scones to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle glaze over warm scones and serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Stand mixer; Dutch oven or deep fryer; thermometer; rimmed baking sheet; cooling rack

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
272 Calories
13g Fat
35g Carbs
4g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories 272
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 5g 23%
Cholesterol 18mg 6%
Sodium 71mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 20mg 2%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 58mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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