Description
These Cheese Scones are a delightful, buttery treat perfect for afternoon tea or a savory snack. Made with shredded cheddar cheese, cold butter, and a dash of salt, they have a tender, flaky texture with a golden crust topped with extra cheese. This recipe uses a food processor for a quick and easy dough preparation and bakes the scones to perfection in just 20 minutes, resulting in six delicious, cheese-packed wedges.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt (halve quantity if using table salt, increase by 50% for salt flakes)
Wet Ingredients
- 100g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 3/4 cup milk, cold (preferably full fat), plus a little extra for brushing
Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or tasty cheese (packet shredded, tightly packed)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (for topping)
Additional
- Butter, for spreading
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F), or 180°C (fan-forced) to ensure it is ready for baking the scones.
- Prepare dry ingredients: Place the plain flour, baking powder, and salt into a food processor fitted with the standard ‘S’ blade. Pulse once to combine the ingredients evenly.
- Add butter: Add the cold, cubed butter to the food processor. Pulse 4 to 5 times until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of peas, distributing the butter throughout the flour mixture. This can also be done by hand using a rubbing-in method if preferred.
- Incorporate cheese: Add the shredded cheddar cheese to the processor and pulse once just to mix it through the flour and butter mixture.
- Add milk: While pulsing 8 to 10 times, pour the cold milk through the feeding tube of the processor until the flour just incorporates into a shaggy, sticky dough. Avoid over-processing to keep the dough tender.
- Form the dough: Scatter a teaspoon of flour on a clean work surface. Scrape the dough out of the processor and gently bring it together with your hands into a ball, using minimal extra flour to prevent sticking.
- Shape and prepare for baking: Place the dough ball on a sheet of baking paper and pat it out into a 3 cm (1.2 inch) thick round disc. Brush the top and sides lightly with a little milk. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup shredded cheese on top and gently press it in.
- Cut and arrange: Cut the disc into 6 equal wedges. Transfer the baking paper with scones to a baking tray and pull each wedge about 5 cm (2 inches) apart to allow room for rising.
- Bake the scones: Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Cool and serve: Let the scones cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Serve warm, spread with butter for a delicious, comforting treat.
Notes
- Note 1: Using packet shredded cheese that is tightly packed in cups ensures accurate measurement and consistent cheesy flavor.
- Note 2: Baking powder is crucial for leavening, creating light and fluffy scones.
- Note 3: You can pulse the butter and flour mixture in the food processor or rub cold butter into flour by hand until pea-sized crumbs form.
- Note 4: Cutting the dough into wedges rather than rounds makes serving easier and encourages even cooking.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
