Whip up a batch of lovely cheese and herb scones for a quick and tasty snack. The secret to light, soft-textured scones is to use buttermilk.
Throw in your favorite dried herbs and try a pinch of chili flakes for a spicy kick.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: About 15
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp of baking powder
- 1/4 tsp of baking soda
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 4 Tbsp of chilled butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 1/4 cup of buttermilk, with a little extra for brushing
- Boursin cheese or butter for serving
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the butter to the bowl and rub it with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the grated cheese and herbs. Using a knife, stir and cut in the buttermilk until the dough comes together. It may seem a little stringy but this is fine.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and then knead it very lightly and gently 2 or 3 times. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 1 inch thickness. Place it on a lined baking sheet.
- Using a 1.5 inch round cutter, push straight down through the dough but don't twist the cutter.
- Repeat steps until you have cut out all the scones. Remove the extra dough from around the circular scones and make extra rounds if you have enough dough.
- Brush the scones with a little buttermilk and bake for about 15 minutes or until the tops are golden. Remove from oven to cool slightly on a wire rack.
- Serve the cheese and herb scones with lashings of butter or Boursin, a brand of soft, creamy garlic-flavored cheese.