Easy Cheese Scones

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need. Find the quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

self-raising flour – if you don’t have any, you can also make plain flour into self-raising by adding baking powder. For the amount of flour used in this recipe (230 g), you would need 2 and a half teaspoons of baking powder.

butter – I always use unsalted butter for baking, so that is what I normally have in the cupboard. But as these are savoury scones you could use salted butter instead. If you do, I would recommend not adding more salt when you add seasoning, just add pepper. Use cold butter for making scones, don’t bring it to room temperature or melt.

cheese – I use mature cheddar cheese, this is known as sharp cheddar cheese in the USA. You can either buy ready-grated cheese if you are short on time, or grate your own from a block. It usually works out cheaper to grate your own, also ready-grated cheese often has additives to keep it from clumping.

milk – I tend to have semi-skimmed in the fridge so that is what I use. You can also use whole milk. I would usually avoid using skimmed milk in baking as you need the fat to add flavour and texture.

salt and pepper to season. Though skip the added salt if you use salted butter.

Optional – a few snipped chives or parsley, a teaspoon of mustard, a teaspoon of marmite. Each of these options will add a different dimension to the flavour, you can experiment and see which you like the best.

Equipment

You don’t need much to make scones but a few simple pieces of baking equipment will come in handy:

• mixing bowl – very versatile in the kitchen. I use this type of bowl normally.
• scone cutters – to get good edges it is best to use scone cutters, I use a set with different sizes and handle like these.
• pastry brush – to brush milk over the scones. I like this silicone type.
• baking tray – a set of two large baking trays is really handy if you bake often.

Instructions

Here is my walk-through of the recipe with images to help you make these easy cheese scones right every time.

You’ll find the printable recipe card with all ingredient quantities and measurement conversions further down.

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

Step 1. In a large bowl, place the self-raising flour. Cut the cold butter into dice and rub the butter into the flour using the tips of your fingers until it has the appearance of large breadcrumbs.

Step 2. Add one tsp salt and a good grinding of black pepper (omit salt if using salted butter). Add 75 g of the grated mature cheddar and stir through. Add the milk (175 ml) and stir well to combine. Bring together to a soft dough.

Step 3. Transfer the scone mixture to a floured work surface, form into a flat round shape, and roll out gently using a rolling pin.

Step 4. Fold the scone dough over onto itself and roll again gently to press together, so you have a thick dough of approx 1 inch (2.5 cm).

Cut out 8-10 rounds using a medium scone cutter – be careful not to turn the cutter, try to just press the cutter in and remove. Place the cut scones on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Step 5. Sprinkle the remaining 30 g of grated cheese onto the scones, making sure each one is well topped. Brush over the scones lightly with one to two tablespoons of milk using a pastry brush.

Step 6. Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool then serve.

Recipe tips

Picnics

When it comes to summer one of the great things is spending more time outdoors; walks in the country, in the park or by the river are fun when the sun it out.

Make it even more fun by bringing a picnic rug and a few snacks to enjoy while sprawled out!

Cheese scones are really versatile, you can eat them warm with butter, so good.

Or use them a bit like cheese rolls and fill with butter, cheese, ham or your favourite filling.

Great for a savoury option for a picnic!

Grab a tub of salad, a few different cheeses, some butter and your cheese scones, and your picnic buddies can assemble their own picnic snacks.