Cheddar and Chive Scones – Easy Savoury Scone Recipe
If you like savoury baked goods like I do, you will love my recipe for Cheddar and Chive Scones. These scones are the perfect savoury bake to enjoy for breakfast, with a cup of tea, or even as a side for a holiday dinner. They are buttery and flavourful, packed with sharp cheddar cheese and fresh seasonal chives, and have a uniquely tender, flaky texture that you won’t find in a traditional scone or biscuit.
Unlike dense scones or overly airy biscuits, these savoury scones are the best of both worlds being both flaky and layered, yet soft and satisfying. Read on down below to find out my secret to getting this great texture or watch me make them on YouTube!
The Secret to Light, Flaky Scones? Lamination!
Most people may get scared when they hear the word lamination. But you don’t have to be scared for this recipe! A very simple folding technique works wonders in my Cheddar and Chive Scone recipe and is so simple.
After mixing the dough until it just starts to come together, you dump it out onto a lightly-floured surface, divide it in half, stack the halves on top of each other and press down to adhere both halves together. By repeating this process, you layer the dough while flattening out the butter in the process. This creates thin layers which helps achieve the tender, flaky texture and keeps them tender.
Other Tips to Achieve the Perfect Scone
I have made these Cheddar and Chive Scones dozens of times, and I have honed in on some more tips to achieve the perfect texture for these scones:
1. Use Cold, Sliced Butter
Instead of grating or cubing the butter, slice it thinly and press each piece into the flour mixture with your fingertips to create flat shards. These wide and flat pieces of butter create steam pockets as the scones bake, giving you those beautiful and highly desirable visible layers. I actually use this technique for pie doughs as well!
2. Chill Before Baking
Place the shaped scones in the freezer for 30 minutes before baking. This firms up the butter and prevents them from spreading too much in the oven, resulting in taller, more defined layers.
3. Don’t Skip the Salt
With savoury bakes, salt matters! I use salted butter in this recipe to add lots of flavour. And as a final flourish, I add Maldon sea salt flakes as a final garnish on these scones to enhance the flavour and give them that savoury bite!
Seasonal Highlight: Fresh Chives
Chives are at their peak right now during the spring and this is one of my favourite ways to use them. Grab some herbs from your garden or pick them up at the farmer’s market or grocery store. When paired with sharp cheddar cheese, they add a savoury and oniony note that goes great in this recipe.
I hope that you enjoy these Cheddar and Chive Scones this spring! Leave me comment down below and tell me how much you love them! Enjoy the best of the season, every day! 🌿
Get the Recipe: Cheddar and Chive Scones
Cheddar and Chive Scones
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup 2% milk (or buttermilk), plus extra for brushing the scones
- 1/2 cup salted butter cold, cut into 1-centimetre thick slices
- 1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese cut into 0.5-cemtimetre cubes
- 1/4 cup chives finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Maldon sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Beat the eggs and milk in a separate bowl. Mix to combine and set aside.
- Add the sliced butter into the flour mixture and toss to coat. Gently press the butter between your fingers to flatten it out into thin shards of butter. Toss the shards with the flour to ensure they are all coated, then add the cheddar cubes and chives and toss to coat again.
- Add 3/4 of the milk mixture to the bowl and mix to almost combine the wet and dry ingredients. When the mixture is almost fully incorporated, dump it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
- Knead the dough to gently bring it together by folding it back onto itself, pressing down firmly to adhere the layers and to flatten the dough. Repeat this six more times to bring the dough together fully. Once the dough is incorporated and there are no more floury bits left, it's ready.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a circle that is 1 inch thick. Place the round on a parchment-lined baking tray and place the tray of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Once chilled, remove the scones from the freezer, brush with a bit of extra buttermilk and sprinkle over the Maldon salt. Use a sharp knife to cut the scones into eight wedges. Arrange at least 1 inch part on the parchment-lined baking tray.
- Bake for 25 minutes in the centre of the oven until golden brown on the bottom. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving and enjoy!
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Nutrition
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