This one is taking a lot of tries to get right! Scroll AAALLL the way down for a 2026 update. Still a little too cakey, but tasty.
I began by trying this Food52 recipe, Naughty Rhubarb Scones. Lots of butter and cream, and they tasted good, but a little too flat.
Next I tried reducing the butter, adding an egg, and using buttermilk instead of heavy cream. That resulted in rhubarb muffin tops, OK but a bit bland.
Next, I tried even less butter, not tossing the rhubarb with sugar before adding it to the scones – on the theory that drew out too much moisture from the rhubarb – and using an egg, plain whole milk yogurt, and a little bit of milk for the liquid. Best of the three, but could maybe still have a little more butter. Or whatever it takes to get a slightly better texture. Maybe more butter and no egg.
So, we’re going with take 3; take 4 updates added. They’re still a bit too cake-y, but taste pretty good! Pic of take 4 below.
1 3/4 cups rhubarb, rinsed, trimmed and cut into 1-inch slices, about 3 stalks
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 good pinches kosher salt
4 6 tablespoons butter
1 large egg 2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons plain whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 tablespoons whole milk
1 additional tablespoon of sugar for sprinkling, or use coarse sugar
First prep the rhubarb, and set aside.
Combine the flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Slice in the butter and pulse to combine. Add the rhubarb and pulse 9 times. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. If you don’t have a food processor, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, and then either cut in or grate the butter. Give the rhubarb an extra chop to get the pieces slightly smaller, then proceed as below.
Place the egg yolks in a spouted measuring cup and add the yogurt and vanilla. Add 3 tablespoons of the milk to get the liquid up to 2/3 1/2 cup. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Mix with a fork until the dough starts to come together, then use your hands to combine into a dough, adding the additional tablespoon of milk if there continues to be lots of dry flour around the edges. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until fairly smooth. Divide the dough in half, and cut each half into 6 wedges. Arrange the wedges on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes while you heat the oven to 425°. You can also cover the pan and refrigerate the scones overnight.
Sprinkle the chilled scones with sugar and place in the oven. Reduce the heat to 400° and bake for 18-20 minutes until firm and golden brown.
2026 update, less rhubarb, and baked without separating the scones to reduce spreading.
1 cup thinly sliced rhubarb
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt, or a good pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup (one stick) cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar for topping, optional
Start by rinsing and cutting the rhubarb. Spread it on a dish towel and flop the edges over, to dry completely.
Combine the flour, sugars, baking powder and soda, and salt in a large bowl. Grate the butter into the flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater. Toss the butter pieces and the flour with your hands, making sure the butter is evenly distributed and covered with flour, and rubbing in the butter shreds into the flour a little.
Stir the milk, egg, and vanilla together in a small bowl or spouted one-cup measure. Add the chopped rhubarb to the flour mixture and toss together, then make a well in the center and pour in the milk-egg-vanilla mixture. Stir with a fork and then your hands to create a nice dough. It will seem too crumbly at first but resist the urge to add more liquid.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a few times. At this point you can make either twelve small scones or eight big ones. For small scones, divide the dough into two balls and flatten into disks. Cut each disk into 6 wedges. For eight big scones, make one big ball and flatten into a disk, and cut into 8 wedges. For both methods, place the round(s) of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place it in the freezer while the oven heats, or for about 15-30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 400°. Sprinke the scones with the cinnamon sugar if using and place the scones in the oven. After two minutes reduce the heat to 350°. Bake the scones for 27-30 minutes, until the are firm and browned. Cool for about 20 minutes, then break or cut into wedges.
