There is something quietly wonderful about a cheese scone that has just come out of the oven: tall, golden, and packed with so much sharp cheddar that every crumb tastes savory. These perfect cheese scones are exactly that kind of bake.
They are light and fluffy inside, crisp and burnished on top, and they are made for a proper tea time spread, or for the sort of afternoon when you simply want something warm and cheesy with butter melting into it.
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The original recipe was written to match the cheese scones from Brodie CountryFare, a family restaurant and home baking business known for its cakes, traybakes and desserts.
To get there, the recipe plays with two favorite scone recipes, one by Paul Hollywood and one by Felicity Cloake, and the result is described as pretty close to the Brodie version.
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If you have ever chased that particular flavor and texture at home, this is a very good place to start.
One small personal twist in the original recipe is freshly snipped chives, added for a mild onion flavor that sits beautifully next to the cheese. They are completely optional. Leave them out and you still get a brilliant cheese scone.
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Keep them in and you get a lovely savory lift that makes these taste even more like something from a good bakery counter.
A still warm, generously buttered cheesy scone is one of the most divine simple pleasures in the world, and these deliver exactly that.
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The recipe makes 10 large scones, with about 10 minutes of prep, 15 minutes in the oven, and roughly 25 minutes in total. Heat your oven to 220C, 200C fan, or 400F.
Once the tray leaves the oven, you will already be planning the next batch.
Every ingredient here has a job to do, and knowing what each one brings makes the whole bake feel much less fussy. Here is the full list, followed by the details that really matter.
Amount
Ingredient
Why it matters
500 g
strong white flour or plain all purpose flour
bread flour gives a more substantial scone, plain flour works too
6 teaspoons
baking powder
the generous amount that gives the rise, and it must be fresh
1 tablespoon
dried English mustard powder
adds golden color and boosts the cheese flavor
1 teaspoon
fine salt
ordinary table salt is perfectly fine
2 tablespoons
fresh chives, finely chopped (optional)
a mild onion flavor
80 g
butter, at room temperature
baking margarine works just as well
300 ml
full fat milk
brings the dough together
250 g
mature cheddar, or a mix of mature cheddar and red Leicester, grated
the star of the show, so be generous
1
beaten egg yolk, or 1 tablespoon milk
for glazing the tops
25 g
mature cheddar cheese
for sprinkling over the top of the scones
Now the why. Strong white flour, which is a bread flour, is the preferred choice because it seems to make a more substantial scone.
If you do not have bread flour in the cupboard, plain all purpose flour works perfectly well, so there is no need to make a special trip to the store.
The six teaspoons of baking powder is a deliberately large amount, and it is what gives these scones their proper rise. Freshness matters here, because stale baking powder will let you down.
If you can detect the taste of baking powder in a bake, you can drop down to four or five teaspoons, which gives slightly less height but makes no difference to the taste.
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Mustard powder is not there to make your scones taste of mustard. It gives a lovely golden color and enhances the cheese flavor, exactly the way mustard works in a cheese sauce. Fine salt is all you need for baking, and ordinary table salt is perfectly sufficient, so there is no need to reach for sea salt flakes.
Be generous with the cheese. A mixture of mature cheddar and a red cheese such as Red Leicester is ideal, because the red cheese adds great color as well as a lovely tang.
Mature cheddar is sold as sharp cheddar in the US, and it is the cheese that gives these scones their punch. Milk brings the dough together, and the recipe uses 300 ml of full fat milk, though semi skimmed works just as well.
Butter or baking margarine can be used interchangeably, and margarine gives a result that is hard to tell apart. Finally, a beaten egg yolk glazes the tops for a tempting golden, burnished look, and a little milk can be used instead if that is what you have on hand.
How to Make Perfect Cheese Scones
The exact amounts and the full method are gathered in the recipe card below. What follows is the walk through, step by step, so you know how the dough should look and feel before you begin.
Make the Scone Dough
Heat the oven to 220C, 200C fan, or 400F, then grease and line two large baking trays. Place the flour, baking powder, mustard powder and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
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Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the grated cheese and the chopped chives, if you are using them.
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Pour in most of the milk, holding back about 25 ml, because you may not need every drop. Mix lightly with your hands until you have a soft, moist dough and no dry crumbs remain at the bottom of the bowl. If the dough still seems dry, add the remaining milk a little at a time.
Baker’s Tip
Scone dough should never be dry. It should be quite wet and sticky to the touch for the best results, but not so sticky that you cannot handle it. If crumbs are still sitting at the bottom of the bowl, add milk a teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together in your hands.
Wet and sticky dough gives you light scones. Dry dough gives you heavy ones.
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Once the dough is soft and slightly sticky, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently pat it out by hand into a rough square that is at least 1 inch thick.
This is where you leave the rolling pin in the drawer. Take a large cutter and press straight down to cut rounds. Do not twist the cutter as you cut, or your scones will rise unevenly.
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Push the trimmings back together lightly with your hands, without kneading, and cut again until all the dough is used up.
Place the rounds on the prepared baking trays, brush the tops with beaten egg yolk or milk, and sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese. Try not to let the glaze run down the sides, because it can interfere with the rise.
Baker’s Tip
The original recipe notes that when time allows, resting the shaped scones for about 10 minutes before baking lets the gluten relax after all that handling and gives you a lighter scone. This step is optional, and if you would rather bake them straight away, that works too.
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Bake the Scones
Bake in the preheated oven at 220C, 200C fan, or 400F for 12 to 15 minutes, until the scones are well risen, golden on top, and smelling gorgeous. That smell alone will make you ravenous.
How Do You Know When Cheese Scones Are Cooked?
Properly baked cheese scones pull away from the baking tray very easily, are well risen and golden all over, and have golden bottoms. The easiest test is to open one about five or ten minutes after it comes out of the oven.
It should split easily in the middle when you tear it with your hands, no knife needed. If the inside looks stodgy or undercooked, put the scones back in the oven for about five minutes.
Top Tip
Cover the scones on the tray with a clean kitchen towel the minute they come out of the oven, and leave them for about 10 minutes.
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They carry on baking gently in their own steam, and the result is better than it sounds.
Serving Suggestions
The best way to eat a cheese scone is with butter spread as thickly as you dare while the scone is still warm, so it melts right through to the fluffy middle.
They are also very good with onion or tomato chutney, ham, or Marmite if that is your thing, and wild garlic butter is described as absolutely the best accompaniment of all.
All scones are best eaten on the day of baking, though they remain perfectly fine a day or two after making. They do stale quickly, so warming one in the microwave for about 15 seconds before eating is a very good habit to get into.
Recipe Notes
Handle the dough with care, because that is the number one rule for the best scones. Kneading the dough produces tough scones, so bring it together by hand and pat it out lightly by hand rather than rolling it with a rolling pin.
This recipe uses strong white bread flour, and while plain flour can be used, the scones always turn out better with bread flour.
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Recipes using baking soda and cream of tartar were tested, but baking powder alone proved the most effective way of getting the rise.
Remember to hold back about 25 ml of the milk, since some flours need less liquid than others and you can always add more. If the dough is dry with crumbs in the bowl, add milk a teaspoon at a time until it sticks together. An optional 10 minute rest before baking lets the gluten relax for a lighter scone.
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For reference, the source nutrition for this recipe is listed below, based on 10 scones with one scone per serving. Nutrition figures shift with the cheese and milk you use, so treat them as a guide.
Nutrient
Per serving
Calories
468
Carbohydrates
53 g
Protein
15 g
Fat
22 g
Saturated fat
11 g
Fiber
1 g
Sugar
2 g
Sodium
887 mg
Cholesterol
69 mg
This recipe is adapted from the original perfect cheese scones recipe at Something Sweet Something Savoury, which is well worth a read. If you enjoy scone baking, the soft and fluffy scones recipe makes a lovely sweet counterpart to this savory batch.
How Long Will Cheese Scones Keep For?
Kept in an airtight container, cheese scones last two or three days.
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They become a little drier on day two, but they are lovely toasted, which is often the nicest way to bring a day old scone back to life.
Can You Freeze Homemade Cheese Scones?
Yes, and they freeze beautifully.
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Once the scones are baked and completely cooled, put them into freezer bags or a freezer safe container and freeze for up to five months. Take out what you need and warm them through when a cheese scone craving strikes.
This recipe uses 500g of strong white bread flour, which is the same thing as bread flour, and it gives the most substantial, well-risen scone. Plain all-purpose flour works as a substitute if you do not have bread flour on hand, but the scones may spread a little more and feel slightly less sturdy. Bread flour has more protein, so the dough holds its shape as it climbs in the oven.
How do you know when cheese scones are done baking?
Bake them at 400°F (220°C) for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are well risen and golden on top. Properly baked scones pull away from the baking tray easily and have golden bottoms. The easiest test is to tear one open about five minutes after it comes out of the oven; if the middle looks damp or doughy, return the batch for about five more minutes.
Can you freeze cheese scones, and how long do they stay fresh?
Cheese scones are best eaten the day they are baked, but they keep in an airtight container for two or three days, though they turn a little drier on day two. Fully cooled scones freeze well in freezer bags or a freezer-safe container for up to five months. Reheat a frozen or day-old scone in the microwave for about 15 seconds, or warm it in the oven.
Why did my cheese scones turn out flat?
The usual culprits are stale baking powder, twisting the cutter, and overworking the dough. The recipe uses 6 teaspoons of baking powder, and it must be fresh; stir a spoonful into hot water and if it bubbles briskly it is still active. Cut straight down without twisting, pat the dough at least 1 inch thick, and handle it as little as possible.
Perfect Cheese Scones There is something quietly wonderful about a cheese scone that has just come out of the oven: tall, golden, and packed with so much sharp cheddar that every crumb tastes savory. These perfect cheese scones are exactly that kind of bake.
Total Time:25 min
Yield:10 Large Scones 1x
Ingredients
Scale
500 g Strong White Flour OR Plain (All-purpose) Flour 6 teaspoons baking powder 1 tablespoon dried English Mustard Powder 1 teaspoon fine salt 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped 80 g butter, at room temperature 300 ml Full Fat Milk 250 g Mature Cheddar Cheese, or a mixture of a mature cheddar & red Leicester, Grated 1 Beaten Egg Yolk OR 1 Tablespoons Milk, For glazing the scones 25 g Mature Cheddar Cheese, For sprinkling over the top of the scones
Instructions
1-Preheat the oven to 220C/200Fan/400F: Preheat the oven to 220C/200Fan/400F. 2-Grease and line two large baking trays: Grease and line two large baking trays. 3-Place the flour, baking powder, mustard powder: Place the flour, baking powder, mustard powder and salt in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs. 4-Add the grated cheese and fresh chives: Add the grated cheese and fresh chives and lightly stir with your hands to combine. 5-Pour in most of the milk (you: Pour in most of the milk (you might not need it all so keep about 25ml back) and using your hands, lightly mix until you have a soft, moist dough and no dry crumbs remain on the bottom of the bowl. If the dough seems a little dry, add the remaining milk. 6-Turn the dough out onto a lightly: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly pat out to a rough square, no less than 1 Inch thick. Using a large cutter, cut out rounds. Don’t twist the cutter when cutting the scones or your scones will rise unevenly. 7-Repeat cutting out the scones until all: Repeat cutting out the scones until all the dough is used up. You don’t need to knead the dough when re-rolling – just simply push it back together lightly with your hands. Bear in mind that the less you handle the dough, the lighter your scones will be. 8-Place the scones on the baking trays,: Place the scones on the baking trays, brush with the beaten egg yolk or milk (try not to let the liquid run down the sides or it could affect the rise) and sprinkle over the 25g grated cheese. Immediately place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until well risen and golden on top. The smell of the scones baking will make you ravenous! 9-Delicious served warm with lots of butter,: Delicious served warm with lots of butter, ham, or chutney.
Last Step:
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