Scones

From Sunday Times 
Cheese and chives scones 

Mrs Dancy Thong, 51, freelance accountant and avid home cook, shares her recipe for cheese and chives scones. 

INGREDIENTS 

200ml milk 

2 Tbs lemon juice 

500g self-raising flour 

1/4 tsp salt 

180g butter, cubed and chilled 

160g cheddar cheese, grated 

2 Tbs chopped chives 

1 tsp black pepper 

2 eggs, lightly beaten 


METHOD 

1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C. 

2. Add lemon juice to the milk and set aside. 

3. Sift the self-raising flour into a big bowl and add salt. 

4. Rub butter into the flour with finger tips for four minutes until a crumbly mixture forms. 

5. Add in 140g grated cheese, chopped chives and black pepper and mix well with a spatula for a minute. 

6. Stir eggs into the milk and pour most of it into the flour mixture. Leave 2 Tbs of the egg-milk mixture for glazing the scones later. Stir the flour mixture with a spatula for a minute and stop once a soft dough forms. 

7. Roll the dough out to 2cm thickness on a flour-dusted work surface and cut it with a circular cutter, 5cm in diameter. 

8. Transfer the cut rounds to a baking sheet dusted with flour and brush it with the egg-milk mixture from before. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top of the scones. 

9. Bake for 18 minutes until golden. 

Makes 25 

TIP: The scones can keep for a week in the fridge and up to a month in the freezer. Remind the receipient to warm the scones up before serving with butter.

Scones

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking: 12 – 15 minutes Makes: 10 – 12 scones 

Ingredients 
225 g (8 oz) self-raising flour, sifted, plus 3 – 4 tbsp to flour baking tray and board 
Pinch of salt 
50 g (2 oz) butter, softened, plus 5 ml (1tsp) to grease baking tray 
25g caster sugar 
1 medium egg, beaten 
75 ml milk 
1 handful sultanas or raisins 
Beaten egg or milk, to glaze scones 

Method: 
1. Heat oven to 230°C (450°F). Grease a baking tray and dredge with flour 
2. Mix together the flour and salt. Rub or cut in the butter as lightly as possible until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. 
3. Stir in the sugar. 
4. Add the egg and bind the mixture together with a fork. Gradually add the milk to form a fairly stiff dough. 
5. Turn the dough on to a floured board and gently roll out to a thickness of about 2½ cm (1 in). 
6. Cut out circles using a 6 cm (2½ in) cutter dipped in flour. 
7. Place the scones, almost touching, on the prepared tray and brush with beaten egg or milk to glaze. 
8. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until firm and light golden. Lower the temperature to 200°C if the top brown too quickly. 
9. Remove from the oven and slide the scones on to a wire rack. Cover immediately with a cloth to keep the steam in. This helps to make the scones deliciously soft and moist. 


by karynkeng