Here’s another experiment from last weekend. And one which turned out as brilliantly as I had hoped.

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Superior Cheese Scones

Makes about 12 small or 6 large
Prep Time: about 15 minutes
Cooking Time: about 25 minutes

Ingredients

280g Self-Raising Flour
50g Butter
150g Cheddar Cheese, grated; plus a bit extra for topping
160ml Milk
1 tsp Baking Powder (yes as well as the SR flour)
Pinch or two of Salt (not too much as the cheese is salty)
1 tbsp fresh ground Black Pepper
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 tbsp Garlic Paste
1 Egg, beaten (for glazing)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200/fan 180/gas 5, and line a baking tray with parchment.
2. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl, with the salt.
3. Add the butter and rub in to combine to breadcrumb consistency.
4. Add the cheese and black pepper and mix thoroughly.
5. Add the tomato paste and garlic paste, followed by the milk a little at a time, to get a soft, pliable but not sticky dough. Go carefully with the milk as you may not need it all; or you may need a splash more.
6. On a floured surface roll out the dough to about 1″ (2.5cm) thick.
7. Use a pastry cutter to cut out circles and place them on the baking sheet, being sure to leave a gap between each one.
   Carefully reform any trimmings as they’ll likely make 1 or 2 more scones.
8. Brush the scones with the egg, and top with a sprinkle of cheese.
9. Bake for about 25 minutes, until risen and golden.
10. Allow to cool on a wire rack (if they last that long!).

Notes

1. When cut the scones should be light and moist; and they’ll be a golden orange colour from the tomato.
2. Enjoy them with butter, or cheese, or … <well your choice>.
3. We used Applewood cheese, which came through really well and gave the scones a lovely slightly smoked flavour, with a subtle background of tomato and garlic.
4. If you double up the mixture, you’ll still only need one egg.
5. I might try this with some olives instead of the tomato and garlic.