What is the difference between a Biscuit and a Scone?

So, what's the difference between a scone and a biscuit? The answer generally boils down to one ingredient: eggs. Scones have them, biscuits don't.

Even though my mom has lived in the South for nearly 20 years, she's never gotten quite accustomed to biscuits. She is in the scone camp. She likes the crunchy, slightly sweet baked good, especially alongside a good cup of coffee. And since she is the baker in the house, I became accustomed to and developed a love for scones too. They are still my go-to coffee-shop splurge, especially at 4 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon.

Carla Burke wrote:  since we're snowed in for Christmas - it might be time to experiment with some I can have. (I make a gluten free, keto version of scones, in several flavors, that are often requested by the few folks I've managed to share them with, lol.)

Cindy Haskin wrote:By "pink salt" do you mean Himalayan? Certainly you can't mean the stuff used to turn ground meats into sausages or some such??!!

And thank you. I'm copying it now for my cookbook!!

Jason Manning wrote:Biscuit means 'twice baked'. Not sure why the American scone things are called biscuits, as they're not.

Can of worms duly opened...

Carla Burke wrote:

Jason Manning wrote:Biscuit means 'twice baked'. Not sure why the American scone things are called biscuits, as they're not.

Can of worms duly opened...

They're not. What is commonly known as a 'biscuit' in Europe & the UK, is called a cookie, in the USA. American biscuits are what is typically confused with scones. Biscotti means 'twice baked', in Italian, and somehow, that one didn't get confused with biscuits, in the USA... Ahhh, language culture, lol!

Anne Miller wrote:In the US, this is what we call a biscuit:


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These are made from a dough that might be flour, milk, and baking soda aka bicarbonate of soda.

I understand that in the UK a biscuit is more like a  cookie:


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Is the US biscuit similar to a Scone?
I don't think I agree with this.  I used several scone recipes from the web and none of them have eggs as an ingredient.  I think it boils down to two things: Scones usually have some additional flavorings or fruit added, also some savory ingredients like cheese and chives.  Biscuits seldom do.  Also, I think of scones as breakfast food whereas biscuits are for dinner (unless you are from the South and eat biscuits and gravy).



I asked and found this:

So, what's the difference between a scone and a biscuit? The answer generally boils down to one ingredient: eggs. Scones have them, biscuits don't.

https://www.eatingwell.com/article/285584/the-difference-between-biscuits-and-scones-plus-6-healthy-recipes/

These scones look delicious


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Since I have never tasted a Scone, do scones taste similar to the US biscuit?

Anne Miller wrote:Thank you, Patricia Boley, for reviving this thread!  Did you have a question?

Or did you just think my post was worth reviving?

Jane Mulberry wrote:
To get the best fluffiest scones use slightly sour milk for a better reaction with the baking powder and don't overmix or knead to avoid developing the gluten too much which will make them tough. (Note - self-raising flour is regular flour with baking powder already included).

I understand in the US a biscuit is more something eaten with a savory meal. Scones can be made savory, by adding herbs, garlic and /or cheese, but one would need to call it a savory scone, to distinguish it from a normal scone.

Usually, scones need to be eaten the day they're made.

Patricia Boley wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:Thank you, Patricia Boley, for reviving this thread!  Did you have a question?

Or did you just think my post was worth reviving?

My message is there but it somehow got into the wrong place!

I said I don't agree with the eggs thing and that scones usually have added ingredients like fruit and nuts and are more of a breakfast item (unless you like biscuits and gravy).

Nancy Reading wrote:I shall have to have a go at making US biscuits - they sound yummy! However scones ought to be quite light in texture - as others have said a light hand with kneading is one factor, a really hot oven is another. Using bread flour with more gluten also gives a better scone if you have 'the touch'. I tend to make scones with egg, as I find it makes them lighter, but my family always made them without. I would say they are definitely better within a day of making, and still warm from the oven is best!

Is the only real difference in these recipes, apart from the sugar, the fat though? Scones tend to be made with butter....Or are they really variants of the same thing just evolved in different directions?