Cheese Scones

I’ve given you a really cheesey scone before (you can find it here), a spiced red onion and cheese scone (here) and even a Christmas cheese, onion and olive scone (here), but today it’s the turn of the cheese and a little bit of mustard scone.

Not as cheesey as the really cheesey scone, but not so much mustard that all you can taste is mustard, this is the perfect scone for dipping into soup or just having on its own with a lot of (real) butter and a cup of tea. And it has to be real butter – scones need real butter, the cholesterol friendly substitutes just won’t do. I won’t tell your GP if you don’t tell mine.

I made a roasted pumpkin soup to have with it. Souper easy (see what I did there?) I roasted some wedges of pumpkin (don’t bother peeling it) with ground cumin, coriander and a drizzle of olive oil and then when the pumpkin was cooked, scraped it away from the skin and added it to a pan with a chopped potato, carrot, and onion. I poured in a litre of chicken stock that was leftover in the fridge from something I cooked last week, brought it to a boil and then simmered it until the potato was cooked. A quick blitz and it was done. I serve with a little sour cream and a dollop of sambal for extra heat.

As for the scones? They’re also a doddle. I kept it simple and cut them into wedges – mainly because I couldn’t be faffed with cutting out shapes and re-rolling.

I used Colman’s prepared mustard rather than a hot English mustard even though Grant said he would have liked it more mustardy. The problem was, though, I didn’t want it too mustardy when I knew I’d be putting vegemite on at least one scone. There was a reason behind my decision even though he didn’t agree with it.

If you want, add a couple of tablespoons of chopped herbs with the cheese – that would make them into cheesey herby scones.

Another option is to leave the mustard out of the dough and pop it on top. I’ve been putting this topping on plain (or cheese) scones since I was a teenager. In a small saucepan melt together 85g butter, 85g grated tasty cheese, ½ teaspoon mustard powder, and a good shake of salt and pepper. Spoon it onto the top of the scones before baking. Soooo good.

How neat was my writing back then?

I know I’ve said it before, but the keys to a good scone are to keep the fat cold and don’t overwork the dough – the less handling the better.

I use a knife to mix the liquids into the floury-buttery-breadcrumby mix and pretty much swoosh it together. When it comes to rolling the dough, I don’t. I shape it and pat it to about an inch or so thick (although why I say an inch and not 2.5cm is beyond me) and cut from there.

The final note I’ll make is regarding the flour, I use self-raising flour with a little extra baking powder. You don’t need to, but it does help. 

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe:

What you need

• 450g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150g grated cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 150ml milk
• 1 tsp English mustard (not mustard powder)

What you do with it

• Line a baking sheet with baking paper and preheat your oven to 200C.

• Stir together the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. 
• Rub the butter into the flour with the tips of your fingers until it looks like sandy breadcrumbs. Work as quickly as you can with this to avoid melting or softening your butter too much. 
• Add the cheese, leaving a handful to scatter across the top (if you’re doing the scattering over the top thing), a good grind of salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Pop it in the fridge for about 10 minutes if, like me, you live in south-east Queensland and have difficulty keeping anything cool.
• Pour 125 ml of milk into a jug, crack the egg into it, add the mustard, and whisk together – a fork will do the job. Gradually stir the wet into the floury buttery cheesy bowl (using a dinner knife) until you have a smooth, soft dough. Remember, don’t handle it any more than is necessary.
• Tip on to a very lightly floured surface, knead lightly, then cut in half. Shape each half into a ball, and roll (I use my hands) to flatten into an approximation of a circle about an inch high. Cut each circle into quarters and arrange on the baking sheet. Leave a little space between each to allow them to rise and also to ensure the heat gets right into the middle.
• Put on a baking tray, brush over the remaining milk and scatter the remaining cheese over the top. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden.
• Allow your scones to cool slightly before splitting open.