Cheese and Herb Scones have a crisp exterior and a sturdy cheesy crumb. Warm from the oven, the scones pull apart in layers. Cheese and Herb Scones are a real tea time treat.




Three days of torrential rains left us cold, clammy, slushy and soggy.  How we pined for a clear sunny day. The grey sky seemed unrelenting. It kept pouring for another day.
Every monsoon, excess rainfall, rejuvenates a multitude of springs around our homestead.  The springs are seasonal and keep running for a good three months. Calming music of running and flowing water fills up the air. The sparkling water flows down the slope and recharges the aquifers below. Nature is so enigmatic, so enchanting and intricate beyond our understanding.


The rain refreshed forest is a bouquet of ferns of all shades and hues of green. This is also the season of abundance. Every plant, every tree is growing new shoots, new branches and new leaves. The herb garden is at its beautiful best.



The Rosemary looks robust.


The oregano has the broadest leaves ever and thyme looks luxuriant.



Last month somewhere in the fag end of summer, we harvested the herbs and prepared herb mix.  And, we used the homemade spice mix in the cheese and herbs scones.


The scones turned out crisp from outside and so soft from inside. Warm from the oven, the scones pull apart in layers. The cheesy and herby scones were had with thick tomato soup for dinner. It was a real treat.


The scones are a pleasure to bake. It requires very little time to get them together. And the recipe is so versatile. Make them sweet or savoury, and use your imagination to use the add-ins to the basic dough. The result is always delicious. It is very important to cut the cold butter into small chunks and blend into the flour mixture. It should resemble coarse crumbs. The butter should be in uneven chunks. Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly. It is Ok if some butter chunks remain unincorporated.



Cheese And Herb Scones

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unrefined sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (we are using salted butter and spice mix also has salt)
  • 2 tablespoons pizza seasoning / Italian spice mix.
  • 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
  • ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 2/3 cup to ¾ cup buttermilk

Instructions

  1. Keep butter in the freezer 30 minutes before you begin making scones.
  2. Line a baking tray with a parchment sheet.
  3. Whisk together first six ingredients.
  4. Add grated cheese. Mix well.
  5. Cut butter into small chunks. Rub the chunks into the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. It is OK to have some visible chunks of butter in the flour.
  6. Add buttermilk, a little at a time. With light hands, get the mixture together into a shaggy dough. Do not over mix.
  7. Add more buttermilk if and only if required.
  8. Transfer the mixture on the floured counter and knead lightly.  Shape into two 7 inch rounds.
  9. Transfer the rounds to a parchment sheet lined baking tray.
  10. Cut each round into 7 wedges with a bench knife or a sharp knife. Pull the wedges apart slightly so they have enough space to expand while baking.
  11. Keep the baking tray in the freezer for 30 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and helps the scones to rise well.
  12. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.
  13. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the top turns golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  14. Remove from the oven. Cool in the rack.
  15. Serve warm.

 Linking to #BreadBakers



    #BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread
    with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here.
    Links are also updated each month on this home page.


    We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Our host this month is Sue Lau.
    She blogs at Palatable Pastime. She has lovely bakes on her blog.
    Check out the lovely scones baked by our members.

    BreadBakers




  • Angel Biscuits from A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Buttery Jeera Biscuits from Sneha's Recipe
  • Cheddar Herb Scones from Food Lust People Love
  • Cheddar and Chive Blossom Scones from Palatable Pastime
  • Cheese and Herbs Scones from Ambrosia
  • Chocolate Scones from Passion Kneaded
  • Laminated Biscuits from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
  • Herbed Angel Biscuits from The Schizo Chef
  • Sourdough Orange Biscuits from Zesty South Indian
  • Soudough Sandwich Biscuits from Karen's Kitchen Stories



  • It is the season of apricots in our hills. The season is short and lasts only for a few weeks. Different varieties ripen at a slightly different period giving enough length of time to enjoy the delicious little golden fruits.The fruition got delayed this year due to intermittent cold spells.


    The four Apricot trees are laden with fruit. Every morning, it’s a ritual to walk to the orchard and collect the Sun ripened apricots strewn on the dew laden grass. Naturally ripened Apricots have a great flavour and sweetness. 



    Last week, all the ripe Apricots were plucked from the trees. Half were used to make Apricot jam. Some were eaten fresh while some were use to bake an Apricot cake. Even the seeds are of value. Kids love to break the shell of the seed and eat the sweet almond hidden inside.


    Sometimes simple recipes hold so much charm. Adding fresh fruit to bakes takes them to another level. 



    Apricot cake has ¾ cup diced ripe sweet apricots. Every bite has juicy apricots that become fudgy when baked. It is such a delicious summery bake.


    Make sure to use ripe and sweet apricots for the cake.

    Eggless Apricot Cake

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ cup unrefined sugar
    • ¾ cup warm milk
    • ¼ cup butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¾   cup diced apricot
    • Zest of one lemon
    • 2 apricots cut into long thin slices and one apricot halved.

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and line one 8 inch round cake pan.
    2. In a large bowl, whisk together first five ingredients.
    3. Add butter to warm milk. Let the butter melt completely.
    4. Add vanilla extract.
    5. Add dry ingredients and mix till you get a smooth batter.
    6. Fold in diced apricots and lemon zest.
    7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
    8. Arrange the apricot slices on the top to make a spiral pattern. Place the apricot half in the center.
    9. Bake for 40 -45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    10. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool in the rack.
    11. Slice when cold.



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