cheese scones, wellington-style

First published in 2017, this recipe was one of my most-visited on ‘tiny happy’.

Confession: I love cheese scones. I don't know how popular they are in other countries, but savoury scones appear in most cafes in NZ, and i'll usually order one to have with my coffee. Plain and date scones are usually on offer as well, and sometimes you find 'savoury' scones filled with random bits of cooked vegetables, which have their place I guess. But I think well-made, plain cheese scones (still slightly warm and spread with some butter) reign supreme.

For a while now I've been trying to perfect my scone-making skills, and that has meant experimenting on the family and my workmates. I'm happy with my current recipe and method, so I thought I'd share it here. If you don't like the idea of cheese in your scones, just omit it, along with the seasonings, and be sure to serve your plain scones with jam and cream.

The perfect cheese scone should be well-cooked but not at all stodgy or dry, well-seasoned and almost flaky in texture, and not too big (it shouldn't be a task to eat). You could cut them into rounds but I just cut the dough into rectangles for ease and speed. It's also important to use really flavoursome cheddar cheese if you can.

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CHEESE SCONES

In a large bowl, sift in 3 cups plain flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp mustard powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp cayenne powder. Crack in some black pepper and mix well.

Cut 75 grams cold butter into cubes. Rub into flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the butter is the consistency of breadcrumbs. You could also use a food processor for this bit.

Line a metal tray with baking paper and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius.

Grate cheese- I use 1 cup of cheddar (usually 'Mainland Tasty' because I love the texture and flavour but you could use any type) and a little parmesan cheese as well if you have it. Stir the grated cheeses into the flour mixture. Then tip in 1 1/4 cup of plain milk. Stir lightly. Tip the dough onto a board and knead lightly (try not to overwork it). Add a little more flour or milk if needed.

Shape into a rounded rectangle (about 1.5 - 2" high). Cut lengthwise, then into 5 pieces width-wise. Top with extra grated cheese.

Transfer to the papered tray then bake for 10-15 minutes, or until just cooked. Cool for a while before slicing in half and buttering.

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