DUBLIN, Ireland — Don't be fooled by those crumbly pastries masquerading as scones at American coffee shops.

They might be a tasty complement to your morning cup, but they bear about as much resemblance to the real thing as margarine does to the clotted cream that so often tops scones in Britain and Ireland.

Authentic scones, recipes for which date back centuries and may be either sweet or savory, are more like an American biscuit — a simple flakey, cakelike bread leavened with baking powder and best eaten warm (and often with butter and jam).

Of course, getting the real thing in the United States may mean baking up a batch yourself. To do that, you'll need to know the basic ingredients and simple (yet vital) methods that mean the difference between stunning scones and coffee-shop impostors.

Here's the breakdown:

MILK

The best variety of milk for scones is hotly debated in baking circles. This is partly because the most traditional option, buttermilk, is used so infrequently by modern cooks, especially home cooks. As a result, many bakers now use whole milk or half-and-half.

But for authenticity, buttermilk (which has a thick consistency and tangy flavor) is best.

Not only is the slightly sour taste key for traditional flavor, buttermilk also acts as a binder, says Michelle Moore, a bread researcher in the Food and Nutritional Sciences Department at Ireland's University College Cork.

"It gives it the added flavor, and it probably gives it the softness, as well," she says.

Historically, buttermilk was made from the liquid left behind when butter was churned. Today, it is made by adding friendly bacteria to nonfat or low-fat milk. It is widely available in the dairy case at most grocers, and also can be purchased as a powder.

Thickness is key. If your buttermilk isn't thick (many powdered versions aren't), Derek O'Brien, the head of the National Bakery School at the Dublin Institute of Technology, suggests whisking a bit of yogurt into it before adding it to the other ingredients.

SUGAR

Size matters. Common white sugar, also called granulated, is too coarse for scones. Most traditional scones are made using so-called castor sugar, which in the United States is sold under the name superfine sugar. This is not the same as powdered sugar.

The ultrafine granules of superfine sugar dissolve better and faster in the dough than granulated, says O'Brien. "If you use granulated sugar, it will show up on the top of the scone as tiny burnt specks."

FLOUR

Though many British and Irish bakers today favor the simplicity of so-called self-rising flour (which comes premixed with baking powder and salt), a more authentic flavor and texture is produced by using all-purpose flour and adding baking powder separately.

This is because using self-rising flour (less common in the U.S.) locks the baker into that product's baking powder-flour ratio.

Darina Allen, one of the founders of Ireland's renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, prefers using her own ratio, which includes more baking powder. This provides more lift during baking and a more distinct flavor.

MIXING

Experts throughout Britain and Ireland agree, great scones are all in the mixing. And minimal mixing is key.

"It's kind of crucial. You're supposed to be able to mix your dough with your liquids in five turns," says Elaine Nuzum, who bakes the scones at Ireland's famous Avoca Café in County Wicklow. "You don't work it too much. That's really the trick."

That means no electric mixers, which are too powerful and too fast for this sort of dough.

For the best results, Allen suggests running your hands through the flour to aerate it before adding the other ingredients. Once those ingredients are added, keep mixing to a minimum — just enough to incorporate all ingredients.

The mixture should be moist, pliable and somewhat sticky, but not wet. The dough is finished by a few quick kneads on a floured surface.

Even the container used for the mixing matters, says Allen. The bowl must be big. As big as you've got.

"That may seem like a little thing, but it makes a huge difference," she says. That's because smaller mixing bowls "constrict (the dough), and you can't mix easily and get the air in."

ROLLING AND CUTTING

The depth of the rolled dough matters greatly.

It is vital to be careful about the thickness when you roll them out, says Allen. "If you roll them too finely, you have all crust. ... If they're too thick, what happens is the top and the bottom cook, and they're not properly cooked inside."

Most baking experts agree that rolling the dough out to a thickness of an inch is ideal.

Scone shape is more a matter of personal preference. Some people form the dough into a rectangle and cut it into squares. Others form it into circles (this recipe would make two circles), then cut each into six wedges.

Biscuit cutters work well, too. A 2 1/2-inch round cutter will produce about 12 scones with the following recipe. Be sure to dust it with flour to prevent sticking. And press it down through the dough in one quick motion without twisting it, which can result in less rising.

The following recipe produces excellent buttermilk scones with traditional texture and taste. Currant scones are a common variation. For those, add 8 ounces of currants to the dry ingredients before adding the liquids.

From start to finish, this recipe takes about 40 minutes.

SCONES