40 g Butter
300 g Plain flour
4 ts Baking powder
1 pn Salt
150 g Cheddar; coarsely grated
50 g Parmesan; finely grated
25 g Chives; finely chopped
150 ml Milk
2 ts Dijon mustard
1 Egg; lightly beaten, to
-glaze
These are smaller than normal scones, and so rich with molten cheese
that there s no need to split them or bother with the hassle of
providing knives, butter and condiments. Just serve them as they are,
still warm from the oven and enjoy in a couple of quick, greedy bites.
Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/gas mark 6. Rub the butter into the
flour until no visible chunks of butter remain. Stir in the baking
powder, salt, cheeses, and chives. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk
and mustard together then add this to the dry ingredients. Mix gently
together you want to avoid kneading the dough or working it any more
than is necessary, otherwise the dough will toughen and the resulting
scones will be heavy.
As soon as the ingredients come together to form a shaggy, slightly
sticky dough, stop mixing. Tip the dough out on to a well-floured
work surface and pat it gently to 2 cm thick. Use a small round
pastry cutter no bigger than 4 cm diameter to cut circles out. Dust
the pastry cutter with flour if you find it sticking to the dough.
Gather offcuts, lightly pat together and repeat.
Arrange the dough circles over a couple of baking trays. Brush the
tops of the scones with a little egg wash, taking care not to let the
glaze run down the sides. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
When done, the scones should be well-risen, golden and firm to the
touch. Leave to cool and firm for 10 minutes or so. Best eaten while
still slightly warm from the oven.
