Easy Cheese Scones

The unusual thing about these scones is cheese is used instead of butter to provide the fat content.

Ingredients

• 3 cups self-raising flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (more or less, depending on the saltiness of the cheese)
• ½-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or similar)
• 1¾ cup milk
• Additional cheese for topping (optional)

Note: The additional baking powder gives extra rise, which is beneficial to most scones. Use 4½ teaspoons baking powder if you are using plain flour.

Tip: Skip the cayenne pepper if you intend to serve these with jam.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.
3. Mix in cheese.
4. Add milk and mix using a knife. This should be a wet, sticky mixture. Use additional milk if necessary.
5. Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and very lightly turn it a couple of times to shape it. You want to handle the dough as little as possible to prevent it from compressing. This will also lightly coat the dough.
6. Roughly cut the dough into 10-12 portions and place onto the baking tray.
7. Sprinkle the top with additional grated cheese (optional).
8. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Tip: Mixing using a knife or pastry blender helps avoid over-mixing, which gives tough scones.