Light and fluffy Fried Scones – Utah style – served with honey and powdered sugar. So easy to make and dangerously tasty!
This recipe comes with a bit of an ironic story. When I was younger my family moved to Utah from California. Every year after that I would fly out to visit my cousin Jeanette and stay with her family for a few weeks during the summer. Sometimes my brothers would come too. My Aunt Paula made scones every time we came to visit and I tell ya, my brothers and I could put. them. away.
The ironic part of this story is that because my mother never made them, and the only place I ever ate them was during the summer on our trips to the coast, in my mind these were “California scones”. In my college years I realized that a lot of people around here were familiar with these fried scones. I thought that was strange that so many people here in Utah had tried my Aunt Paula’s California scones. Only a couple of years ago did I put the rest of the puzzle together. My Aunt Paula is actually from Utah originally so she took the recipe with her to California – not the other way around! Honestly, I have no idea who the first person was to ever make a fried scone, and there’s no telling where they lived so really these could be Indiana scones, they could be Paris scones, who knows.
That being said – around here, they are known as “Utah Scones”. So for the sake of this post, we’re gonna stick with that. If you’re from Indiana and your great great great grandpappy invented the fried scone – you lucky duck you must be so proud! Let me know so that I can properly call these Grandpappy’s Indiana Scones.
Regardless of their origin, the bottom line here is that these are insanely good in that way that indulgent fried foods always are. No, I don’t suggest you make fried scones your daily breakfast routine, but every once in a while you’ve gotta live a little and fried scones for breakfast is living. These are golden, soft and puffy-fluffy pillows of joy that will make you cry they’re so wonderful. You can top them with butter, honey-butter, syrup, chocolate sauce, or just about anything else your little heart desires – our favorite is honey and powdered sugar! Yumm-o.
What people are saying about these Fried Scones
“I’ve made these several times now and my family loves them! This recipe is right on!! I’m from Idaho and grew up eating these as a special treat at a few “mom and pop/back road” restaurants across the state. Finally found an accurate recipe! Make them all kinds of ways…honey & butter, cinnamon & sugar, filled with a raspberry cream cheese filling and topped with raspberry syrup & powdered sugar, fill with a peanut butter mousse and dip one end in chocolate ganache….tonight, pumpkin spice mousse filled and rolled in cinnamon/sugar! Yummy! Make sure to eat while they’re hot!” – Princess
“I grew up in Utah and am also familiar with this style of scone- and as an adult I have been making them out of frozen roll dough. This recipe is not only WAY less expensive, it truly was fluffy perfection! Thank you so much! And thought I’d share- I also make a dinner version. We call them Navajo Tacos and top them with warm chili, grated cheese, olives, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. After we have a dinner scone, we get a dessert scone! They are heavenly with butter and homemade jam!” – April
Fried Scones (aka: Utah Scones)
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 ½ cups flour
- 1 egg - beaten
- 2 quarts oil - for frying
- toppings - see notes
Instructions
- Mix 3 tablespoons of warm water with yeast adding a pinch of sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes (mixture will rise and foam).
- While yeast is rising, combine hot water, oil, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
- Add egg to the yeast mixture and mix well. Add the egg/yeast mixture to the oil/sugar mixture. Stir well.
- Gradually add flour stirring well after each addition. Knead the dough as it stiffens until you get a doughy, elastic consistency ( about 5 minutes)
- Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Let dough rise for about 30 minutes or until double in size.
Frying Directions
- Line cooling racks or plates with paper towels. Fill a large sauce pan with 2 inches of oil and heat to 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit over medium-high heat.
- Meanwhile, punch down dough and divide into 12 balls. Roll out a piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into 1/4-inch thick circles or squares. Use your fingers to stretch out the balls of dough.
- Carefully place two or three balls of dough in the oil and fry until golden brown on each side (about 1-2 mins). Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat until the dough is all fried.
- Serve hot with honey butter, butter, syrup, or powdered sugar. Our favorite is honey and powdered sugar!
Notes
Nutrition
*Original recipe source: Bakerette <— Visit this site for great instructions on how to prepare these scones ahead of time.
I am 36 years old and from all over the West (California, Hawaii, Idaho, and now Utah) and today is the first day that I have–in my life–heard that there is another type of scone other than this so-called “Utah scone” … My son brought a biscuit with fruit home from preschool and said “we made scones at school” and I mockingly laughed in his sweet little face.”That’s not a scone!” I declared. “That’s some sort of biscuit thingy. Scones are wonderful deep fried clouds that you drench with honey butter. I’ll show you a picture of a scone!” Then I Googled it and found that my entire life has been a lie (at least where scones are concerned). My mind is blown. This is like the time I was living in Belgium and they asked me if I had ever tried their little “sprouts” … “Yes,” I said, “but we call them Brussel spr- ooooooh.” I have to assume that the spread of this dish to other areas (attached to the name scone) must have something to do with westward emigrating pioneers and probably specifically Mormons. Of course, that’s just based on my own experiences living in the above areas in the West that are also densely populated by Mormons. So interesting.
Ha! Oh I am so there with you Josh. This “Utah scone” is a real scone. Those biscuit thingys are just that – biscuit thingys! It should be fried and drenched in honey butter!! In my book, it’s the only true scone 😉
Utah style “scones” are basically a French beignet like you would find in New Orleans. Southernes serve them with just powdered sugar though. The honey butter I have always had these Utah made pillows of heaven with is what sends them over the top!
I have never heard of Utah style scones until today. The first thing I thought was that it was a beignet with a different name. The differece is that beignets have milk in the recipe and these don’t. I might have to make both and see which I like better, though my father is from New Orleans so I might be a bit biased!
Ok – crazy question, but I’ll be traveling to SLC this summer & rather than try to make these, I’d love enjoy one while there. Where oh where can I find such delicious goodness?? (And yes, living in the midwest I’ve always known scones to be “biscuit-like”).
There’s a place in Layton Utah called sills café they make the best everything loll I grew up eating there and that’s where I had my first scone I never knew there was different ones until I moved out of state Ooo how I miss Sills Café you should totally try that place it’s about 20 -30min from SLC
Hi Krystal!
I love Sill’s Cafe! They have amazing breakfast! Their scones are incredible!
The sister of the owner at Sill’s Cafe has a bigger restaurant in Kaysville named Grannie Annie’s…and it’s RIGHT off the Kaysville exit…a bit closer to SLC. 😀 Same family recipe as is served at Sill’s.😉
I’ve made these several times now and my family loves them! This recipe is right on!! I’m from Idaho and grew up eating these as a special treat at a few “mom and pop/backroad” restaruants across the state. Finally found an accurate recipe! Make them all kinds of ways…honey & butter, cinnamon & sugar, filled with a raspberry cream cheese fillng and topped with raspberry syrup & powdered sugar, fill with a peanut butter mousse and dip one end in chocolate ganash….tonight, pumpkin spice mousse filled and rolled in cinnamon/sugar! Yummy! Make sure to eat while they’re hot!
I grew up in Utah and am also farmiliar with this style of scone- and as an adult I have been making them out of frozen roll dough. This recipe is not only WAY less expensive, it truly was fluffy perfection! Thank you so much! And thought I’d share- I also make a dinner version. We call them Navajo Tacos and top them with warm chili, grated cheese, olives, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. After we have a dinner scone, we get a dessert scone! They are heavenly with butter and homemade jam!
I actually went to eat at a Navajo family’s home. They made legit Navajo tacos, with Navajo fry bread and all. We’re really not far off using the scone dough. I do the same thing at my house, but my oldest daughter is finally appreciating the Navajo Taco portion of the meal. Now if I could get the rest of my kids on board.