Cheese And Herb Scones / #BreadBakers

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.

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

Freeze and Bake Yeasted Mini Ginger Scones from A Messy Kitchen

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