How to Reheat Scones (Tips for Freezing and Reheating)

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Scones are known for their delightfully rich, slightly sweet flavor and crumbly, soft texture that simply melts in your mouth.

These baked goods are the perfect snack to enjoy in your breakfast or brunch, along with warm coffee or tea and toppings such as butter, cream, jam, or jelly.

But what if you end up making more scones than you need? This brings us to today’s topic: how to reheat scones.

In this article, we’re discussing everything you should know about storing scones before and after baking as well as the best ways to bake or reheat scones after storage.

Keep reading to learn how to keep your scones as fresh as possible for as long as possible!

How to Store Scones Before Baking

You can keep your unbaked scones in the fridge or the freezer. They can last around 10 days in the fridge and up to 3 weeks in the freezer.

In the Fridge

1. Cut the scone dough as you’d normally do.
2. Grab an airtight container or use plastic wrap to cover your lidless container and secure it with a rubber band.
3. Lay parchment paper at the bottom of the container.
4. Place the scones on the parchment paper.
   1. Be careful not to overcrowd the container.
   2. You can arrange scones on top of each other, but make sure the ones on top aren’t weighing down the ones on the bottom. Also, separate them with another layer of parchment paper.
5. Once you have all of your scones sitting in the container, lay a single parchment paper on the very top.
6. Close the container and place it in the fridge.

In the Freezer

You may be wondering whether or not it’s a good idea to freeze unbaked scones.

But you don’t need to worry, freezing scones before baking doesn’t just help you maintain their freshness for a longer time, but it can also produce a few positive effects as follows:

• Letting the gluten relax: the time spent in the freezer allows the scone dough to sufficiently rest, boosting the chances of the scones turning out soft and light.
• Keeping the butter firm: this allows your scones to rise nicely instead of spreading on the parchment paper. It also ensures that you get a light and tender texture.

You can keep the scone dough in the freezer for up to 4 weeks. Here’s how:

1. Place the uncovered scones on a plate or a baking tray and transfer them to the freezer for at least 2 hours.
   • You can cover the scones gently with parchment paper or plastic wrap. But be careful not to press the cover into the dough.
2. Once firm, transfer the scones to an airtight container or freezer bag.
   • If you’re arranging scones on top of each other, don’t forget to separate them with another layer of parchment paper to keep them from sticking to each other.
3. Close the container, put a label with the date, and place it in the freezer

How to Bake Scones After Refrigeration or Freezing

When it comes to baking refrigerated or frozen scones, most people naturally think about thawing them first.

While thawing is a must-do step before baking other types of frozen bread and pastries, it’s not something you want to do with frozen scones. Here, you should pop them into the oven straight out of the freezer.

Why? Well, because of the butter content.

Scones usually contain a lot of butter. If this butter starts to melt before you start baking the scones, it’ll form a pool under the scones and soak into the parchment paper.

When the scones with the melted butter enter the oven, the butter will quickly scorch and can easily get burnt. So when you take out the scones, their bottoms will be brown or black.

As such, you want the butter in the scones to start melting after you put them in the oven to bake.

That said, here’s how to bake scones after refrigeration or freezing:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Your oven may tend to run hot, so you can reduce the temperature between 10 to 15 degrees.
   • Keep in mind that the oven temperature for baking scones should never be less than 400 degrees F (205 celsius) as they require fast and hot cooking.
2. Line a baking tray using parchment paper.
3. Take the bag or container of frozen scones out of the freezer, or as many scones as you want.
4. Transfer the frozen scones to the baking tray and pop them in the oven right away.
   • If you want to sprinkle some raw sugar, cinnamon sugar, or any other type of flavored sugar on the scones, do it before placing them in the oven.
5. Bake the scones for about 20 minutes, but check on them after 15 minutes. If they still need some more time, you can simply let them bake for a couple more minutes then check again.
6. Once the scones are well-risen and slightly golden on top, take them out.
7. Serve with butter, cream, jelly, or jam.

If you’re not sure how to know when your scones are ready, you can test their doneness by wiggling them when you go to check on them.

Simply reach in carefully and grab the top of one of the scones gently. Try to jiggle it and observe what happens:

• If the scone wiggles, then its center is still too soft and needs more time.
• If the scone stands firmly, then it’s done and you should take the batch out of the oven.

Keep in mind that if you take the scones out while still wiggly, they’ll collapse once they start to cool. A just-done center will ensure the scones stay puffed.

How to Store Baked Scones

You can keep your baked scones in the fridge or the freezer. They can last around 7 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.

In the Fridge

7. Let your scones cool to room temperature.
8. Grab an airtight container or use plastic wrap to cover your lidless container and secure it with a rubber band.
9. Lay a few paper towels at the bottom of the container to soak up extra moisture and prevent sogginess.
10. Place the scones on top of the paper towel.
    1. Be careful not to press down or smash the scones as you arrange them in the container.
    2. You can also arrange scones on top of each other, but make sure you separate them with another layer of paper towel.
11. Once you have all of your scones sitting in the container, lay a single paper towel on the very top.
12. Close the container and place it in the fridge.

In the Freezer

4. Let your scones cool to room temperature.
5. Place the uncovered scones on a plate or in a container and transfer them to the freezer.
6. Keep the scones in the freezer for at least 1 hour. This initial freeze allows excess moisture time to leave the scones instead of getting trapped in the storage container.
7. Grab an airtight container or use plastic wrap to cover your lidless container and secure it with a rubber band.
8. Lay a few paper towels at the bottom of the container to soak up extra moisture and prevent sogginess.
9. Place the scones on top of the paper towel. If you’re arranging scones on top of each other, don’t forget to separate them with another layer of paper towel.
10. Once you have all of your scones sitting in the container, lay a single paper towel on the very top.
11. Close the container, put a label with the date, and place it in the freezer.

How to Reheat Baked Scones

Before you can reheat baked scones after freezing, you need to thaw them first. Here’s how:

• Take the bag or container of frozen scones out of the freezer, or as many scones as you want to reheat.
• Unwrap the scones and place them on a plate on your counter.
• Cover with a clean towel or parchment paper. You can also Lay a few paper towels under the scones to soak up extra moisture and prevent sogginess.
• Let the scones sit at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours. Alternatively, you can defrost the scones in the refrigerator overnight.

Now that your scones have thawed, you can go ahead and reheat them. Choose one of the following methods:

• The oven, which is a better option if you’re reheating many scones:
  1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
  2. Transfer the scones to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
  3. Stick the scones into the oven for around 5 to 10 minutes.
• The microwave, which is a better option if you’re only reheating a few scones:
  1. Place the scones onto a microwave-safe plate.
  2. Pop them into the microwave for about 20 seconds on the medium setting or 10 seconds on the high setting.

Final Thoughts

There you have it, a complete guide on how to reheat scones after storing them baked in the fridge or freezer. You can easily do it using your oven or microwave.

Remember, if you’re baking scones after refrigerating or freezing them as dough, don’t let them thaw.

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