Scones are considered relatively easy to make as they don’t require many ingredients and you can mix everything together in one bowl.

But baking can be unpredictable and it’s easy to make mistakes along the way that result in a less than satisfying result at the end. There are lots of factors at play to ensure a well-baked scone, including the exact quantity of ingredients, not overworking the dough and the right oven temperature, but according to Paul Hollywood, if you follow one rule it will result in perfectly golden fluffy scones practically every time.

The Great British Bake Off judge says there are a couple of processes you need to get right before the scones go into the oven.

The first is to make sure you don't overwork the dough otherwise you won’t get that wonderfully light and fluffy texture, and the second is to avoid twisting the cutter when you lift it away from the dough or your scones might not rise properly.

But Paul says the key to baking the perfect scone is simply a matter of timing, and if you stick to the ‘15 minute rule’ every time, your scones will come out of the oven beautifully golden.

Explaining the rule in a YouTube video, Paul said: “The oven's nice and hot. Grab your tray. 15 minutes. Go and have a cup of tea while you’re doing it. Pop it in.

“Use the 15 minutes of a scone in an oven as a good rule. Now I’ve been making scones for 30 odd years and 15 minutes bang on is 99% of the time going to be spot on. So you can forget about them.

“Look at the colour of these. That’s the colour you’re looking for – that rich, golden brown. See it literally just falls apart in your hand. That’s what you’re looking for in a good scone.”

For his recipe, Paul uses 500g strong white bread flour, 25g baking powder, 80g unsalted butter, 250ml milk, 80g caster sugar and two medium eggs. You’ll also need a large beaten egg with a pinch of salt to glaze your scones before they go in the oven as this will help to give them that lovely golden brown colour.

Start by mixing the flour and baking powder in a bowl and then rub in the butter using your fingers until you have a breadcrumb–like texture. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and sugar and then add this to your flour mixture, stirring it together until it combines and forms a ball.

Then tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over a few times to add in some air, before rolling out to a 3cm thickness. Use a scone cutter and press firmly down – without twisting – to cut out around 11 scones. Place these on a lined baking tray and brush the tops with a beaten egg, before putting this in the fridge for 20 minutes to rest.

Paul adds: “Meanwhile, heat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Take the scones out of the fridge and brush them again with the egg glaze. Bake for 15 minutes until risen and golden brown.

“Transfer the scones to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve with a generous helping of jam and clotted cream.”