Our family’s cheese scones.

24.02

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F L O U R ,   M I L K ,   B U T T E R ,  C H E E S E .

There are a few dishes that, whilst cooking, bring me right back to my childhood.

Cooking apples simmering in a pan with sugar and butter. A thick slab of gammon boiling away in a stock pot with vegetables and barley. Fragrant ginger biscuits, trays of fruity and gently spiced bread pudding, rock cakes in paper cases with their currants and sultanas always catching ever so slightly in the heat.

And, of course, the comforting, homely smell of cheese scones rising tall in a hot oven.

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There’s a real knack to scone making, if you ask me.

I’ll never make them as well as my Grandma used to, but every time I try, I learn a little something.

To handle the dough softly, not to press it hard or roll it too thin whilst shaping and rolling, and that the craggier it is at that stage, the lighter and more aerated they’ll be when finished with their baking.

I find they’re more challenging to make than simple bread or biscuits or cakes- the dough seems to ask for almost the same lightness of touch as pastry, though not quite to the same extent, I’m glad to say.

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But whilst I can’t quite say I’ve got the technique 100% perfect yet, the taste is most definitely there and is as nostalgic as ever.

If you’ve never split in half a scone (cheese, or otherwise) that’s fresh from the oven, and whilst the steam spirals from its centre, spread each half with a little butter before eating it right away, then you’ve been missing out.

This particular batch disappeared in a flash, eaten as ‘I’m hungry but not too hungry’ snacks, in the evening when ‘dinner wasn’t quite as filling as I thought it might be’, and all the times in between, because who ever needs a reason to eat a scone?

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The recipe is from my Grandma’s decades old Delia Smith cookbook and I’ve done very little with it other than tinker slightly with the cheese quantity, so the credit must go to Delia, really. Makes 8.

Ingredients ::
225g self raising flour
40g butter, at room temperature
150ml milk
85g mature cheddar
1/2tsp mustard powder
Pinch salt

- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celsius, and grease a baking tray.

- Sift the flour into a large bowl, and then lightly and quickly rub in the butter until the mixture has no large lumps, and has the clumpy texture of wet sand.

- Add in the grated cheese, salt and mustard powder, and stir together with the butter and flour mixture.

- Slowly pour in the milk a little at a time, stirring with a knife as you go. Bring the dough together with your hands, kneading it lightly until it forms a rough ball.

- Roll the dough out until it’s 1 inch thick, and then use a 2inch fluted cutter to cut out the scones. Place them on the greased baking tray, and bake for 12-14 minutes (mine were perfect after 12, 13 was a shade too long) until the tops are lightly golden and the bases sound hollow when tapped.

- Best served warm, with lashings of butter. Delicious.

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p.s. The butter knife, rolling pin, and milk jug all are hand-me-downs from my own beautiful Grandma, and the red gingham napkins are part of a set Jason’s Grandmother made us as a wedding gift. Family really is the very best, isn’t it?

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17 Comments
Posted in BAKING, FROM MY HOME TO YOURS, RECIPE, SAVOURY
  • http://brunchataudreys.com Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s

    Cheese and bread is all I need! I think Brazilian Cheese Bread is my favourite. I gotta try these scones some time! A steaming scone fresh out of the oven with a swish of butter sounds like everything I need right now. I’d probably eat it for breakfast, in between meals, and as a midnight snack :P -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s

  • http://www.mirandasnotebook.com Miranda | Miranda’s Notebook

    Mmmm, I love a good cheese scone! Family recipes are the best, aren’t they? And how sweet that Jason’s Grandmother made those napkins for you! xxx

  • http://www.jodieloue.com Jodie

    Scones are the one thing I’m actually pretty good at baking, and whenever I give people my recipe they always say mine tastes way better than theirs (not sure how). I’ll be giving this recipe a go for sure! x

    Jodie // Jodie Loue

  • https://rhymeandribbons.com Amanda @ Rhyme & Ribbons

    These look so delicious! x

  • http://abookishbaker.com Helen

    Oh my. Gorgeous photographs. Making my mouth water!

  • ninegrandstudent

    These look delicious, though I can never resist scattering the tops with extra cheese before baking! x

    NINEGRANDSTUDENT: A Student Lifestyle Blog

  • http://www.ginevrella.co.uk Jennifer

    These look delicious – it’s been far too long since I’ve made scones!
    Jennifer x
    Ginevrella | Lifestyle Blog

  • http://Www.supernaturallyhealthy.org/ Kezia @ Super Naturally Health

    i love family recipes – i have my grandmas hand me down apron!

  • http://www.elinesreturnticket.blogspot.nl Eline Punt

    I’ve never had cheese scones before (is that bad?), but these look amazing!

    Love, Eline | http://www.elinesreturnticket.blogspot.com

  • http://honeyandflour.com Emily Petracco @ Honey + Flour

    I love recipes passed down from generations. This is such a sweet little post, Rosie. I’m excited to try making a batch of these myself! Thank you. x

    emily | honey + flour

  • http://jasmincharlotte.com/ Jasmin Charlotte

    I love me some cheese scones, they are definitely the ultimate afternoon snack. Haven’t made them at home in years, definitely inspired me!

    Jasmin Charlotte

  • http://jesandbleu.com Jes Cohen

    Growing up I was never a fan of scones, then all of a sudden, I loved them!

    They look yummy.

    http://jesandbleu.com

  • Island Living 365

    Like you cheese scones remind me of my childhood so I had to make them today with my youngest. I followed you and Delia’s recipe and it couldn’t have been easier. They tasted amazing too. Yum.

  • http://theliterarylady.blogspot.co.uk/ Monica S

    These look lovely. Cheese scones are my ultimate comfort food treat! I like mine with a little cream cheese. Monica x

    http://theliterarylady.blogspot.co.uk/

  • http://thewanderella.com/ Melissa

    Oh they look lovely! Definitely something to pack on a picnic! xx

    http://thewanderella.com/

  • http://sophie-rose.co.uk Sophie Blumenthal

    Homemade cheese scones are MY MOST FAVE THING EVER.

    Sophie x

  • https://disqus.com/home/channel/offofdisqus/ RubyCook

    Love the photos with this post.
    Ruby
    http://www.originsofmotion.co.uk/videographer-cambridge/

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