Cheesy Scones taste great as an afterthought

As I mentioned in my previous post, I attended an Irish Potluck last weekend.  I wish I could say I went to great lengths to make these Cheesy Scones, but they were sort of an afterthought.

The chocolate chip scones were so easy and tasted so good, but I only made one batch. I decided I should bring some savory scones to balance things out. The recipe for the cheesy scones happened to be right underneath the Buttermilk Scones recipe so nothing magical about how I came to make these, but the flavor, oh the flavor… that’s the special part. Maybe not magical, but delicious nonetheless.

These scones remind me of the cheese biscuits you get at some restaurants. The flavor is exceptional!  Although I think almost anything with cheese tastes great, there is a special ingredient in these scones that adds to the flavor and makes them delightful. For an afterthought, I was quite pleased with these scones.

The main problem I have with these scones is it’s hard to eat just one. Of course I had to try one (or two) to make sure they tasted okay before I brought them to the luncheon. They were so good. I had to stop myself from taste testing too many or there wouldn’t have been any left for the luncheon.

 

Cheesy Scones with spelt

Makes: 8-10 Large Scones or 16 Small Scones

Adapted from: The Best of Irish Breads & Baking from Georgina Campbell

These scones have a higher fat content (cheese and butter) so you’ll need a little more baking powder to make sure you get a good rise out of them.  I used all-purpose Spelt flour, but you can use regular all-purpose flour if you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (8 oz/225g) all-purpose Spelt flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 stick (2oz/50g) butter
• 1 1/2 cups – 1 3/4 cups grated cheddar cheese or other hard cheese
• 1 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder or crushed mustard seeds
• a little salt
• grinding of fresh black pepper
• 1/2 cup (4oz/100mL) almond milk, approx.

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.

1) Sift the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.  Cut in the butter and rub it until the mixture is crumbly.

 

2) Add the grated cheese, ground mustard and seasoning and mix with a whisk or wooden spoon.

 

3) Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the milk. Mix to form a soft dough. You may need to add more or less milk.

 

4) Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently.

 

5) Roll the dough out into 3/4” thick circle and mark into triangles. You can make 8-10 large triangles or smaller triangles.  Or, if you prefer, cut the dough into rounds and make cheese biscuits.  I rolled my dough out a little thinner than 3/4” so I ended up with more wedges.

 

6) Brush the wedges lightly with milk and place them on the greased baking sheet.

 

7) Bake the scones in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until they are well-risen and golden-brown in color. Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

 

These scones were received really well at the luncheon.  They were gone in a flash.  They are best eaten the day you make them, but they are still good the next day. I don’t know about after that because they didn’t last that long. I’ve been fighting the urge to make more all week. I may have to give in soon.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

Irish Soda Bread

To commemorate St. Patrick’s Day, the Artisan Bread Baker’s group made Irish Soda Bread for the March bread of the month. BOM (Bread of the Month) is a virtual bread-baking party hosted by Phyl Of Cabbages & King Cakes.

Soda Bread is the traditional bread of Ireland. It can be made with white or whole wheat flour. Early Irish cooks bypassed yeast and used "bread soda" or "baking soda" because Irish flour was too soft to make yeast bread. The bread was cooked on a griddle set over the fire or in a bastable, which is a type of Dutch oven. In many parts of Ireland, soda bread is still shaped and baked as a round loaf with a cross marked on top.

To view more Irish Bread Recipes, click here.

 

What is Soda Bread?

Soda bread is a type of quick bread in which baking soda has been substituted for yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. Other ingredients can be added such as raisins or various forms of nuts.

Make Your Own Buttermilk Plant

Buttermilk is an essential ingredient in traditional soda breads. It can be cultured very easily using a buttermilk plant. Here is a recipe to make a buttermilk plant for use in Irish Soda Breads and other recipes that call for buttermilk.

 

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

from Jeff Smith, aka The Frugal Gourmet

Makes: 2 Round Loaves I only wanted to make one loaf so I halved the recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 6 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix very well. Pour all of the buttermilk into the bowl at once and stir, using a wooden spoon, just till a soft dough is formed. 

Pour the contents of the bowl onto a lightly floured counter and knead for a minute or so till everything comes together.

Divide the dough into two portions and shape each into a round loaf, pressing the top down a bit to just barely flatten it. Place the loaves on a large ungreased baking sheet.

I only made one loaf and decided to bake it in a ceramic dish rather than freeform.

Sprinkle with some addition flour on the top.  Using a sharp knife, make the sign of a Cross in slashes on the top of the loaf.

Allow the loaves to rest for 10 minutes and then bake on the middle rack for 40 minutes or till the loaves are golden brown and done to taste.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool before slicing or serving.

Soda bread can dry out quickly and is typically good for two to three days; it is best served warm or toasted.

This soda bread was actually pretty moist.  I liked it!  It didn’t have raisins or currants in it so it reminded me of a big biscuit!  It tasted good with butter and homemade citrus marmalade.

 

Happy Baking!
Cathy