Cheese Scones
The best ever cheese scone recipe you have ever tried.
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Servings: 10 scones
INGREDIENTS
- 450 g Self-raising Flour (see Self-raising Flour note below)
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tbsp Caster Sugar
- 50 g Block Margarine or Butter (cold; cubed)
- 100 g Cheddar Cheese (grated)
- 200 ml Milk
- 100 ml Crème Fraîche or Sour Cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 220°c (200°c for fan-assisted oven, Gas Mark 7 or 425°F). Grease two baking sheets with a little excess margarine/butter and set aside.
- Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and cayenne pepper into a large bowl, holding the sift up to allow some air into them. Gently stir in the sugar.
- Using the tips of your fingers, rub the margarine/butter into the dry ingredients, again, lifting as you do to allow air in. Continue until you have a sandy consistency.
- Keep aside a small amount of the cheese (for topping your scones) and stir through the rest of cheese, before creating a well in the centre of your ingredients.
- Whisk the milk and crème fraiche together before pouring into the well. Using your hands, gently bring the ingredients together to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Turn out onto a floured work surface and gently knead together, before stretching the dough to about 1cm thickness. Fold the dough over itself (like a book) so you have two layers, and gently press together until your dough is about 2cm thick.
- Using a cookie cutter of your choice, cut your scones out and place them onto your pre-greased baking sheets. The smaller your cutter the more scones you will get. Reform and stretch the dough as required to use all of the dough.
- Leave your scones to rest on the tray for about 10 minutes before brushing the tops with some extra milk and topping with the leftover cheese.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 10 minutes. If you are making smaller scones, keep a close eye on them as you may need to reduce the baking time to suit.
- Once cool enough to touch, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely or enjoy whilst still warm.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
NOTES
Self-raising Flour:
Don’t have self-raising flour? For this recipe, simply whisk together 450g (3¾ cups) plain flour and 6 teaspoons baking powder instead (or 8 teaspoons of baking powder once you include the additional 2 teaspoons the recipe also calls for). If you bake regularly, you can also make a larger batch to keep in your baking cupboard. For full instructions, cup conversions and answers to common questions, see my Self-raising Flour Ingredient Guide.Substitutions:
- Cheese: I like to use cheddar cheese in my scones, but you can use whatever cheese you have or love, even combining different cheeses if you like.
- Milk: Any milk will work in this recipe. Dairy-free milks such as soya, oat, or almond milk can be used with good results.
- Crème Fraîche: As with milk, you can easily swap to a dairy-free crème fraîche. Alternatively, you can use sour cream or yoghurt if you prefer.
Storage:
Scones are best enjoyed fresh on the day they are baked. Store leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Warming them again can help bring them back to life if they’ve started to go a little stale.Freezing:
Scones freeze well. Allow them to cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and warm briefly in the oven before serving.Tried this recipe?
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