Easy Cheese Scones

A light and fluffy Cheese Scone is a very, very delicious thing. So delicious that every time I bite into one warm and slathered with the obligatory salted butter, I actually swoon. I always feel like I've suddenly joined the W.I and cannot understand why I don't bake a batch every morning.

Baking these Cheese Scones in my kitchen makes me feel pretty accomplished. They look good, they taste incredible and my kitchen smells like Mary Berry's....I imagine obvs.

Scones have been with us since the 1500's or so the book says.

They originated in Scotland in a more oaty form and were cooked on a griddle. Much like Welsh Cakes I would have thought.

They are a very simple thing to rustle up and knock the pop socks off anything that you can buy in a supermarket.

You can serve them as a snack, a side or just because. I like them just because......

How to make light and fluffy scones.

A light and fluffy scone warm from the oven can be moment stopping. Whether sweet plain scones or savoury I care not as long as they are slathered in butter.

The trick is not to overwork the dough too much. Minimum mixing, handling, rolling and shaping.

This needs to be kept in mind right from the beginning.

You Can Scroll Straight Down For The Recipe Card for the exact ingredients and instructions. 

Recipe

The ingredients are super simples.

This recipe will give you 5-6 scones using a 6 cm wide cutter. So a small batch but mighty in height.

Plain Flour - I tend to have just plain flour (All Purpose Flour) but if you have self raising then simply omit 1 tsp of baking powder.

Baking Powder - Only add 1 tsp if using self raising flour.

Milk - I use semi skimmed because that is what I always have in the fridge but full fat milk is good too.

Cheese - It needs to be mature cheddar for the flavour.

Salt - Fine salt

Butter - It needs to be butter and not baking margarine. If using salted butter then only add half of the salt in the recipe.

Method

• I tend to use my food processor to "rub" the butter in as it takes about 20 seconds. You are looking for fine breadcrumbs. But rubbing in with your fingers is fine too.
• I then tip the rubble into a bowl and add the cheese.

• Pour in the wet ingredients and using a wide bladed knife, mix until it starts to mostly come together into a shaggy dough.

• I then get in there with my hands and squish it gently together into a more complete dough.

• Try to handle it the least amount that you can. The lighter you go the higher they will rise.
• Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and GENTLY shape and roll into a thickness of about 3.5 cm. Try to get the whole thing even.
• I don't usually use a rolling pin. I simply flatten with my hands. But you can if you prefer.

However it matters not to me to have a bit of a slope going on. Who cares about the rustic look, you're baking with cheese here.

• I use a 6 cm cutter and get about 6 out of the dough.
• I usually get 3 out of my first shape/roll and then keep shaping and cutting often times one at a time as I can't keep the thickness and get 2 rounds cut at the same time. I dip my cutter in loose flour to stop the scone mix sticking to it.
• Sometimes I have to fashion the last one the best I can as there is not enough dough to be cut out with the scone cutter.
• Go very gently when you get the scones out of the cutter. I try to get them drop out by their own accord by a bit of gentle shaking. Also don't twist the cutter just push straight down.

• Brush the tops with milk or egg and put on a lined baking tray.

• Bake for about 12-15 minutes. I find it is usually the full 15 minutes but all ovens are different.
• Cool on a wire rack.

Pro Tips

Don't be tempted to damp down the strength of the cheese. It needs a strong cheese hit for the flavour.

Be careful not to overwork the dough. Just enough to bring it all together and so that the mixture forms a dough.

Don't twist the cutter just push straight down when cutting out the scones.

Dip your cutter in flour before you cut each scone out.

I always advise an oven thermometer as the temperature can really vary oven to oven. My last oven was always much hotter than the dial indicated.

Can I freeze them?

The answer is yes. This batch is a small batch so easily eaten in a day but if you do a double batch then freeze away.

They should be frozen on the day of baking once completely cold. I put them in a plastic freezer bag and then another so there is a double plastic layer.

I use the large sandwich freezer bags but you could put them in a tupperware tub after the first bagging to protect them from getting knocked if your freezer is rammed.

They will freeze well for at least 2 months.

When I want them again I retrieve the bag out of the freezer and leave them in there to thaw for 3 hours.

Take them out of the bag and reheat gently at 150 C/300 F/Gas Mark 2 for ten minutes.

How to make them gluten free?

To make these cheese scones gluten free simply exchange the plain flour with plain gluten free flour.

A expert gluten free fellow blogger advised me that a lot of times gluten free flours absorb more liquid than standard flour so add 50 mls more milk to the mixture.

What to serve with them.

I love them warm and spread with salted butter but also delicious with some chutney and extra cheese or pair them with a salad or soup.

I sometimes use them as a bit of a side dish.

I particularly like to serve them with:

Baked Onion and Garlic Soup,

Celeriac Soup,

Tomato Soup

Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne

Moroccan Salad

Roast Butternut Squash and Feta Salad

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Print

Easy Cheese Scones

These are so simple and absolutely delicious. Light and fluffy these Cheese Scones are a perfect snack or treat.

Course cake

Cuisine English

Keyword cheese scones

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 5

Calories 352 kcal

Author Apply To Face Blog

Ingredients

• 225 grams plain flour
• 50 grams unsalted butter cold
• 150 mls milk
• 120 grams mature cheddar
• 1 gram salt
• 2 tsps baking powder.

Metric - U S Customary

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 200 C.

2. Put 225 grams flour, 2 tsps baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl or food processor.

3. Rub 50 grams cold butter into the flour with your fingertips or whizz with the flour in the food processor for 20 seconds or so until you are looking at fine breadcrumbs in your bowl.

4. If using a food processor then tip the fine rubble into a large mixing bowl.

5. Tip the 120 grams of mature cheddar cheese into the bowl and then pour in the 150 mls milk.

6. Using a wide bladed blunt knife or similar stir the milk into the mixture until you get a shaggy dough.

7. Now is the time to get your hands in and squish the dough into a smoother mass of dough still in the bowl. Empty it out onto a very lightly floured surface.

8. Using your hands (or a rolling pin) very gently roll/shape out the dough to 3.5 cm thick. It will be a relatively small shape. Using a 6 cm cutter or similar cut out the scones.

9. Reshape the left overs and gently repeat until you run out. If the last is not enough to fashion a whole scone then just use your hands to make a scone shape. That one is yours......cooks perks.

10. Brush with milk or eggwash and bake for about 15 minutes.

11. Cool on a wire rack a little before slicing open warm and slathering with butter.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

All nutritional information is intended only as a guide.

Dip your cutter in flour to stop the scone mix sticking to it.

Don't be tempted to damp down the strength of the cheese. It needs a strong cheese hit for the flavour. 

Be careful not to overwork the dough. Just enough to bring it all together and so that the mixture forms a dough.

Don't twist the cutter just push straight down when cutting out the scones.

I always advise an oven thermometer as the temperature can really vary oven to oven. My last oven was always SO much hotter than the dial indicated.

 

Nutrition Facts

Easy Cheese Scones

Amount Per Serving

Calories 352 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Cholesterol 50mg17%

Sodium 320mg14%

Potassium 273mg8%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 539IU11%

Calcium 285mg29%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Do let me know how you got on in the comments below or tag me in your social media. I love a good old hairy chin wag. Here are my Facebook and Instagram pages.