Light, flaky, and packed with cheese. The secret to these scones is keeping everything cold and handling the dough as little as possible. A couple of simple folds create lovely layers without any extra effort.
Ingredients (makes 8 large scones)
- 360g plain flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 125g salted butter, fridge cold (half a standard size pack)
- 200g extra mature cheddar, grated
- 225–250ml buttermilk
- A little milk, for brushing
Optional:
- Hot honey, for serving or glazing
- Extra grated cheese for the tops
Method
- Preheat the oven Preheat your oven to 210°C (200°C fan) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the butter and cheese Coarsely grate the cold butter directly into the flour mixture. Add the grated cheddar and gently stir everything together. The key here is to keep the butter cold and avoid overworking the mixture. Small pieces of butter create steam as they bake, helping to produce a lighter, flakier scone.
- Add the buttermilk Pour in the buttermilk and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold everything together until no dry patches remain. The mixture will look rough and shaggy — that’s exactly what you want.
- Bring the dough together Tip the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together with your hands. If it feels too dry, add a splash more buttermilk. Try not to knead the dough. The less you handle it, the lighter the finished scones will be.
- Create the layers Roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 20cm x 25cm. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up, like folding a letter. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and gently roll it back out to roughly the same size. Repeat this folding process one more time.
- Cut the scones Roll the dough to a thickness of around 3cm. Using a sharp knife, cut into 8 equal pieces. Squares or rectangles work perfectly and avoid any waste.
- Chill Place the scones onto your lined baking tray and brush the tops lightly with milk. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours if you have the time. This helps the butter firm up and encourages a better rise.
- Bake Bake for 15–20 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.
- Cool slightly Allow to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving.