Paul Hollywood's Trick To Keeping Scones Neat

We've all heard the phrase, "The devil is in the details," and it's never truer than when you are in the kitchen baking something special for friends and family. The seemingly simple takes much greater effort and time to get just right. This is why we have such admiration for the British chef and judge of "The Great British Bake Off," Paul Hollywood. Per Hollywood's website, although he started off as an artist who specialized in sculpting, his rich baking heritage called him to the family business where he excelled in all-things culinary.

For some, getting their hands all floured up is so much more than just baking — it's a labor of love, perhaps for Hollywood in particular. In an interview with Radio Times, the author of "How to Bake" shared, "Bread is enjoyment. It's sharing with everybody. There's something very special in that." Hollywood is clearly very passionate about the bread he bakes and nowhere does manifest itself more than when he is making biscuits and scones. In fact, Hollywood has a simple trick to keep your scones looking neat and tea time perfect.

Perhaps it's his sculptor's background, but for the cooking show host, neatness matters and he is clearly a fan of symmetry when it comes to his baked goods. Hollywood revealed to the Great British Food Awards blog that the secret to making perfectly-shaped scones is chilling the cut dough in the refrigerator and then flipping them over before you put them in the oven. Hollywood says that after he cuts his scones and chills them for an hour, there's an important technique worth following. "Flip the scones over on your tray. You'll see your sides will be absolute dead straight when they come out of the oven. It's little things that make all the difference."

Hollywood also shares that the type of flour you use to make your scones can be a game-changer. He told the blog that you should eschew plain flour and instead opt for strong flour, which, according to Doves Farm, is simply flour that contains more gluten, which helps with shape and structure. The famous bread baker noted, "When you make scones with strong flour you'll see the difference!" As we said, the devil is in the details, especially when you want to bake like Paul Hollywood.