Cheese and chive scones
A crowd-pleasing savoury scone with cheddar and chives. They are very simple to make and it's great fun stamping out the circles of dough. Scones are best eaten fresh, but freeze very well once cooked, so any extras can be stored in the freezer for another day.
Ingredients
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 225g/8oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 55g/2oz unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
- 120g/4½ oz cheddar, grated
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped chives
- 100ml/3½fl oz cold milk, plus extra for glazing
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.
Sieve the salt, mustard powder, baking powder and flour into a bowl. This helps to add air into the mixture and make the scones light and fluffy.
Add the butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, lightly rub in the butter until you get a fine breadcrumb consistency. Using your fingertips will stop the butter from melting.
Add 100g/3½oz of the grated cheese into the flour mixture, and rub it in lightly. Save the remaining cheese for later. Add the chives and mix in.
Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the cold milk a little at a time, mixing between each addition until the dough starts to come together. You may not need all the milk, don’t add too much, it should be a crumbly dough-like consistency.
Tip the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together into a ball using your hands. Shape it into a 2cm/1in thick disc using your hands (alternatively use a rolling pin). Don’t roll the dough too thinly or you will end up with crunchy biscuits instead of fluffy scones.
Using a medium-sized cutter (about 4–5cm/1½– 2in diameter) cut the dough into circles, using one sharp tap and not twisting the dough as you cut. Twisting the scone mix can result in an uneven rise.
Place the scones on the lined baking sheet and repeat until you have used all the dough.
Brush a little milk on the top of the scones using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with the leftover cheese.
Bake the scones for about 12 minutes, or until they are golden-brown. Allow to cool slightly on a wire rack and serve slightly warm. You know you’ve made a good scone if it tears easily!
Recipe Tips
Don't forget to wash your hands before cooking.
If children are baking, they should have adult supervision when chopping the chives and using the oven.
Using your fingertips to rub in the butter stops the butter form melting and helps to incorporate air into the mixture making your scones lighter.
You can use kitchen scissors to chop the chives.
Cold milk will help prevent the butter from melting while you make the dough.