Simple Cheese & Chive Scones

These simple to make cheese and chive scones are a tasty savoury treat and can be made in half an hour including baking time.

I'll be using metric weights and measures throughout with one exception: the teaspoon. A standard UK teaspoon is 5ml.

Why metric as opposed to lb, oz, pints, or cups? I'm in England, metric's what we use, plus pints are different sizes in different countries (20floz in the UK, 16 in the USA for example). And I don't even klnow if there is a standard size for a cup.

There are some variations using the same basic recipie in the last setp.

To make these scones you'll need a few basic items of kitchen equipment:

• An oven (not shown)
• A baking sheet
• Kitchen scales than read in grams (g)
• A wire cooling rack
• A Mixing bowl
• A measuring jug marked in ml
• A teaspoon

Optional equipment:

• A pastry cutter, mine is about 50mm in diameter
• A pastry brush
• A rolling pin
• Baking parchment
• An oven thermometer if your oven cannot be set by temperature

It's important your oven is at the correct temprature when you're ready to bake so turn it on now.

• Normal oven: 220C/430F
• Fan assisted oven: 200C/400F

if you're in the UK and have a gas oven that's Gas Mark 7.

If your oven doesn't fall into one of those you'll need that over thermometer.

I find it best to gather, weigh, and measure all the ingredients before starting.

For these scones you'll need:

• 240g self-raising flour
• 40g soft unslated butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 150ml whole milk
• 110g grated cheddar cheese. I prefer mature or extra mature but use the grade you prefer.
• English mustard powder to taste. I use 1 heaped teaspoon. That's about 8g.
• About 10g fresh chopped chives. Use dried if you can't get fresh, 10g would be around two level teaspoons.
• A little extra milk. Skip this if you don't have a pastry brush.
• A little extra grated cheese

Makes six to eight depending on thickness and size.

1. Cut the butter into small pieces.
2. Add to the flour in a suitably sized mixing bowl
3. Using you fingers and hand rub the flour and butter together until the mixture resemables bread crumbs (see picture).

1. Add the salt, cheese, chives, and mustard powder
2. Mix thoroughly

1. Add the milk slowly
2. Mix into a light dough

1. Sprinkle your work surface with a little flour. This is to prevent sticking.
2. Turn out your dough onto you work surface and knead lightly - it doesn't need much.
3. Spread you dough into a layer about 2cm thick. If using a rolling pin do not press down hard.
4. Cut into rounds or squares (and whatever shape takes your fancy) and place onto a baking sheet. Trimmings can be combined, re-rolled and cut. Small amounts can be rolled into balls and added to the baking sheet.
5. Brush the top of the scones with a little milk
6. Sprinkle some grated cheese on the top of the scones

If using baking parchment, place it on the baking try before placing the scones.

1. Put the scones into the middle of your pre-heated oven
2. Bake for 15 minutes or until risen and golden brown. This is a good time to clean up the stuf you've used so far.
3. Remove from the oven and serve warm or allow to cool on a cooling rack

This recipie is reasonably adaptable so here's a few suggestiona:

• Replace the cheddar with the same amount of another cheese. You may want to omit the chicvs and mustard powder when doing so.
• Omit the chives and mustard powder if those are not to your taste
• Omit the chives and mustard powder, add one tablespoon (15ml/three teaspoons) of Marmite
• For gluten free scones, use a gluten free self-raising flour. Same quantities as in the original recipie.