These delicious cheese scones are an excellent mid-morning treat, or you could try one instead of bread with a lunchtime ham salad.
Ingredients
- cooking spray, for oiling
- 11¾ oz (335 g) self-raising wholemeal flour
- 11¾ oz (335 g) self-raising white flour, plus extra for dusting
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2¾ oz (75 g) baking margarine (from a block), chopped
- 3½ oz (100 g) reduced-fat mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
- 1½ tbsp finely snipped fresh chives
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 10 fl oz (300 ml) semi-skimmed milk
- 1 oz (30 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Spray a large baking tray with cooking spray.
Sift the wholemeal flour, white flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl, tipping in any bran left in the sieve, and stir to combine. Add the margarine and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the Cheddar cheese, chives and rosemary.- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in all but 2 tablespoons of the milk, stirring with a metal spatula until a dough begins to form, then finish the process using your hands. If necessary, add a little more milk or water (you need only enough to form a stiff dough).
Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently to form a smooth dough. Add more flour to the work surface and the rolling pin if necessary, then roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 cm/¾ inch. Cut out 16 scones with a 7.5-cm/3-inch round cutter- Put the scones on the prepared tray, evenly spaced out. Brush the tops with the remaining milk, then sprinkle over the Parmesan cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes, or until the scones are golden and cooked through, and they sound hollow when tapped on the base. Serve warm or cold. The scones can be frozen for up to 1 month.