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These savoury Cheese Scones are perfect for a baked treat, whether it’s for an afternoon tea or part of a packed lunch. Easy, cheesy and totally delicious!
This recipe was first published in my first book What’s For Dinner under the title Ivy’s Cheese Scones.
Ivy was my maternal grandmother, she worked as a cook in the 1930s who mad legendary cheese scones. She just so happened to pass her legendary scone secrets to me when I was just 10-years-old!
I’ve been using that homemade Cheese Scone recipe, scribbled on her scrap piece of paper, ever since.
It’s very dear to my heart and I just HAD to share it with you here because I know you’re going to love it too ❤️
Why you’ll love this easy Cheese Scones recipe
⭐️ Takes less than 30 minutes to make
⭐️ Perfect for freezer batch cooking
⭐️ Ideal as an after-school snack, side dish or picnic treat
Sarah’s notes
If you’re a little daunted about making savoury scones, please don’t be!
Follow the tips and tricks in this post, and once you’ve got the knack you’ll realise they are one of the quickest and most satisfying bakes around.
This recipe makes 8 big scones and we’re using just a few simple ingredients to create the perfect light and fluffy Cheese Scones after only 10 minutes in the oven.
Ingredients for Cheese Scones
- Plain flour – Or ‘all purpose flour’. You’ll need the quantity for the scones, plus a little extra for rolling.
- Baking powder – This helps them to fluff up nicely.
- English mustard powder – Just a teaspoon of this gives a wonderful hint of flavour. If you don’t have this, you could replace it with half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or paprika.
- Sea salt – Again, just a teaspoon will give enough seasoning and flavour.
- Butter – Use this straight from the fridge and cut into chunks before starting to rub the mixture together to make the dough.
- Cheese – I like to use mature cheddar cheese, coarsely grated, for these. You can use your favourite hard cheese but make sure it’s has a strong flavour. Sometimes I substitute in some Red Leicester for colour.
- Whole milk – Straight from the fridge.
- Egg – A beaten egg for brushing over the top before baking will make the scones nice and golden (you can substitute additional milk if you prefer).
How to make Cheese Scones
1. Put the flour, baking powder, mustard powder and salt into a mixing bowl, then add the butter and ‘rub it in‘ with your hands (see notes below to find out how).
2. Stir in half of the grated cheese, then add the milk.
3. Use your hands to gently bring it all together into a ball of dough. Try not to handle it too much.
4. Lightly dust the worktop and a rolling pin with flour, then roll out or pat the dough with your hands to slightly flatten.
5. Cut out 8 round circles using a 7cm round cutter or upturned glass.
6. Put the scones onto the lined baking sheet, brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Bake in a preheated oven, as per the recipe below.
Substitutions
- English mustard powder – You could replace it with half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or paprika if you don’t have any in.
Storing
Scones are always best served fresh on the day you bake them, but if you have surplus you can freeze them for another day.
Simply allow them to cool first. To defrost, thaw thoroughly and enjoy them cold, or reheat gently in the oven or microwave.
Instead of freezing, you could always refresh them the following day by toasting them and serving with bacon for breakfast!
How to get fluffy Cheese scones
Use cold butter
Use your butter straight out of the fridge and cut it into chunks before starting to rub your mixture together. This will stop the mixture becoming too warm and stodgy.
Don’t over-handle
For the same reason, you don’t want to overwork your dough. Right from the start, try not to handle it too much.
Don’t twist the cutter
When it comes to cutting your scones into rounds, pop your cutter straight down, without twisting. This will allow the scones to rise and stop the dough sticking together too much.
More easy savoury bakes…
Comfort Food
No Knead Bread {Easiest Ever Overnight Recipe}
Christmas Recipes
Easy Sausage Rolls {Just 3 Ingredients!}
Vegetarian
Cheese and Onion Pasties {Greggs Style}
Vegetarian
Cheese & Asparagus Puff Pastry Parcels
FAQs
We need to use a hard cheese for this recipe. I like Mature Cheddar because it’s a perfect consistency and flavour. I often mix in some Red Leicester for colour too.
Rubbing in is a term sometimes used in baking, which means putting cold butter into flour and lifting and sifting the mixture through your fingers, while you quite literally rub it between them!
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Cheese Scones {Granny’s 95 Year Old Recipe!}
Ingredients
- 500 g Plain flour, Plus extra for rolling
- 3 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp English mustard powder
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 80 g Butter, Straight from the fridge | Cut into chunks
- 200 g Mature cheddar cheese, Coarsely grated
- 300 ml Whole milk
- 1 Egg, Beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven as high as it will go (usually 220℃ fan/240℃/Gas Mark 9). Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Put the flour, baking powder, mustard powder and salt into a mixing bowl.
- Now 'rub in'. Loosely lift some of the butter with the flour mixture and rub it between the tips of your thumb and fingers to break up the butter into smaller pieces until it looks like lumpy sand. This takes about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overwork it!
- Stir in half of the grated cheese, then add the milk and use your hands to gently bring it all together into a ball of dough.
- Lightly dust the worktop and a rolling pin with flour.
- Roll out or pat the dough with your hands to slightly flatten to about 2.5cm-3cm thick.
- Cut out 8 round circles using a 7cm round cutter or upturned glass.
- Pop the scones onto the lined baking sheet, brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, or until risen and golden.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are the best Cheese Scones I’ve ever made! I made a batch for the freezer and pop them in with my son’s packed lunches or use them for a side when I’m making soup. They defrost really well and taste delicious.