Savoury Cheese Scones

Name: Savoury Cheese Scones
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8 scones
Cuisine: Baking
Ingredients: 2¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour; ⅓ cup (75 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed; 1¼ cups (140 g) shredded cheese (mature cheddar); ¾ cup milk; 1 tbsp baking powder; ½ tsp mustard powder; ½ tsp fine salt

Light, cheesy scones with a golden, craggy top.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Yield8 scones

Before You Start

Savoury scones, sharp with cheese and lovely warm with butter or soup. Keeping everything cold and handling the dough lightly gives you a fluffy, layered rise rather than dense lumps.

Instructions

1
Heat the oven to 210°C / 415°F and line a tray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, mustard powder and salt.
2
Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in most of the cheese.
3
Pour in the milk and bring together quickly with a knife into a soft, shaggy dough. Do not knead.
4
Pat out on a floured surface to about 3 cm thick and cut rounds with a floured cutter, pressing straight down.
5
Place close together on the tray, brush the tops with a little milk and scatter with the reserved cheese.
6
Bake for 13 to 16 minutes until risen and golden. Best eaten warm.

Ingredients

2¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (75 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1¼ cups (140 g) shredded cheese (mature cheddar)
¾ cup milk
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp mustard powder
½ tsp fine salt

Baker's Tip

For the most reliable results, weigh your ingredients with a digital scale. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient above to convert it.

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💡 Baker's tips

Keep the butter and milk cold and work fast, so the scones rise tall and stay light.
Press the cutter straight down without twisting, or the scones rise lopsided.

🔀 Make it your own

Add 2 tbsp chopped chives or a pinch of cayenne.
Press a little extra cheese on top for a crisp, frilly crust.

📦 Storing & freezing

Best the day they are made. Refresh day-old scones in a hot oven for a few minutes. They freeze well.

❓ Frequently asked

Why did my scones not rise?

Usually the dough was overworked or the butter got warm. Handle it as little as possible and keep everything cold so the baking powder can lift it.

What cheese is best?

A strong, mature cheddar gives the most flavour. Grate it yourself, since pre-grated cheese is coated in starch and melts less well.

Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.