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Three everything bagel scones on a blue plate. One scone is split in half and has cream cheese, smoked salmon, and capers spread on the bottom half.
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4 from 1 vote

Flaky Everything Bagel Scones with Green Onions

My everything bagel scone recipe is a mouthwatering combination of my buttery flaky scone recipe and my homemade everything bagel seasoning made with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried onions, granulated garlic and fresh green onions. These are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a special occasion.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Chilling Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 55 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 scones
Calories: 495kcal
Author: Cheryl Norris

Equipment

Ingredients

Scone Dough

  • 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting the work surface
  • 3 tablespoons (37 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons Diamond kosher salt
  • 3 teaspoons poppy seeds
  • 3 teaspoons white sesame seeds
  • 3 teaspoons dried onions
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter frozen
  • 1 cup (70 grams) thinly sliced green onions
  • 1-1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream cold

Everything Bagel Seasoning

  • 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
  • 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried onions
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt

Egg Wash

  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons heavy cream or milk

Scone Toppings

  • Cream Cheese
  • Smoked Salmon
  • Capers

Instructions

Mise En Place

  • Place your butter in the freezer at least one hour before you’re ready to start making the scones. Measure out the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried onions, and garlic into a small bowl. Chop the white and green parts of the green onions.

Make the Scone Dough

  • Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried onions, and granulated garlic and whisk them into the flour mixture.
  • Grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients. Toss the butter to coat it with the flour mixture, then rub the butter into the flour. Add the green onions and fold them into the flour.
  • Add the cream to the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to mix the ingredients together until just blended and most of the flour is mixed in. The dough will look shaggy and there will still be some flour not mixed in.
  • Dump the dough onto a floured work surface. Use a dough scraper to get all the dough out of the bowl. Flour your hands. Gather the dough and press it into a rectangle shape. There may be pieces of dough on the side. Take those pieces and press them into the top of the dough.
  • Use your bench scraper to fold the top third of the dough towards the center. The dough is still crumbly at this point, which is why you need the dough scraper. Fold the bottom third over the top fold. Rotate the dough 90 degrees. Use your fingers to press the dough into a rectangle and repeat the tri-fold.
  • Shape the dough into a 9x7-inch rectangle. Use the bench scraper to square the sides and trim the edges to an 8x6-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 8, 2x3-inch pieces. Place the pieces on a board or tray (that will fit into the refrigerator) and chill for 1 hour.

Make the Everything Bagel Seasoning

  • Mix together the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried onion, granulated garlic, and salt. Set this seasoning mixture aside until ready to bake the scones.

Bake the Scones

  • About 15 minutes before the chilling time is complete, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the egg and cream.
  • Place the scones on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, then sprinkle the everything bagel seasoning on top. Bake the scones for 15-17 minutes until the tops and edges are golden brown, the scones have increased in height and the internal temperature registers about 204°F using an instant-read thermometer.
  • Remove the scones from the oven. Let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Serving the Scones

  • The scones are best served warm. Serve plain, or with cream cheese, smoked salmon, and capers.

How to Store the Scones

  • Store the cooled scones in an airtight for up to 3 days.

Notes

Why freeze the butter. Frozen butter is the key to tall, flaky scones. When you grate it directly into the flour, you create small, distinct fat pockets that stay cold and solid. In the oven, the water in the butter turns to steam and creates lift, giving you those beautiful layers. If the butter warms up and blends into the flour, you lose that structure and end up with a dense, crumbly scone.
Don't skip the chill. Resting the shaped scones in the refrigerator for 1 hour does two things: it firms the butter back up after handling, and it gives the gluten a chance to relax. Cold dough holds its shape in the oven and rises upward. If you're in a hurry, 30 minutes in the freezer can substitute for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
The shaggy dough is intentional. Resist the urge to mix the dough until smooth. Overmixing develops gluten and makes scones tough. The tri-fold technique does the work of bringing everything together without overworking the dough. If there are a few dry flour bits when you turn it out, that's fine — they'll be incorporated during the folds.
Internal temperature is your most reliable doneness cue. Oven temperatures vary, and visual cues (golden tops and edges) can be misleading, especially with darker pans. Pull the scones when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 200–204°F. Below 195°F and the interior will be gummy; above 210°F and they'll dry out quickly.
Make-ahead and freezing. These scones freeze beautifully before baking. After shaping and chilling, place the unbaked scones on a parchment-lined tray and freeze until solid (about 2 hours), then transfer to a zip-top bag. Bake directly from frozen at 400°F, adding 3–5 minutes to the baking time. Do not thaw first. Baked scones can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month; reheat at 325°F for 8–10 minutes.
Weighing vs. measuring flour. Measuring flour by volume is the most common source of dense, dry scones. A cup of flour can range from 120 to 160 grams depending on how it was scooped. For this recipe, 315 grams is the target. If you don't own a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off, never scoop directly from the bag.

Nutrition

Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 257mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 936IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 4mg