Best Cheese Scones
Whether you’re serving them for breakfast with a healthy lashing of butter, alongside soup for lunch or as a snack before the hour strikes twelve, these cheese scones are sure to land a spot in your repertoire of quick breads. Not only do they use simple ingredients you may have on hand, they are pretty easy to make.
These cheese scones turn out light and flaky, full of rich buttery layers. They are not dense and cakey like so many of the scones you find in bakeries. Scones are a combination of quick bread baking and pastry, and this recipe lives up to that. For and even easier and faster quick bread, try my Best Blueberry Muffins or Best Cornmeal Muffins. These scones are zesty and savory with a slightly crisp exterior. They rise like little towers, their layers specked with cheddar cheese.
How Do You Make These Cheese Scones Flaky?
There are a few secrets to getting those buttery layers of air in your scones. Here are some tips to making your next batch the best one yet!
- Grate the butter in very cold or even frozen. It’s important to have little cold bits of butter in the dough rather than the butter becoming too incorporated. Those little shards of butter will turn to steam in the hot oven that will make these scones spring like puff pastry.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Once the dough comes together, don’t mix or knead it too much so as not to develop any gluten that might make the scones tough. As soon as you are able to form the crumbly mass into a dough, begin the layering process right away.
- Chill the dough before baking. Chilling the scones before baking them will allow the butter to harden, which will create more leavening power when it becomes steam. This will result in a higher rise. The rule is always cold dough, hot oven.
If you’re never had success making scones before and you’re not a quitter, I hope this recipe and tips will make you a star at your next brunch party.
Best Cheese Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ cup 35% cream heavy cream
- 1 egg
- Additional 35% cream for brushing tops
Instructions
- Line an 8 inch round cake pan with plastic wrap leaving about 5 inches of overhang on either side.
- In a large mixing bowl combine all purpose flour, sugar, Parmesan cheese, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Whisk together well.
- Using the coarse side of a box grater, shred the cold butter over the dry ingredients. Toss to coat the shards of butter with the flour mixture while you grate as you do not want them to stick together too much. Add cheddar cheese and combine well.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup combine 35% cream and egg. Beat well with a whisk and pour over the dry mixture. Stir together well until a soft, crumbly dough forms. The mixture should be more dry than wet but not too dry. If there is an excessive amount of dry flour, add a little more cream.
- Inside the bowl or on a work surface, press the dough together to form a loose, crumbly disc. Divide in half and place on top of the other and press again to form a disc again. Repeat this step another 5 times for a total of 6 layers. The dough should become less crumbly and easier to manage with each layer.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. You can use the overhang of the plastic to cover the dough while you press so it doesn't stick to your hands. Cover the dough with the overhang and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375℉/190℃. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from the pan using the plastic overhang and cut into 6 even wedges. You can also cut them into 8 wedges for smaller scones. Place on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops generously with 35% cream and bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to cooling racks to rest a few minutes before serving warm.