Ham and Cheese Scones - An Easy Ham and Cheese Scone Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good scone? ›

Keeping scone dough as cold as possible prevents over-spreading. When scones over-spread in the oven, they lose the flaky, moist, and deliciously crumbly texture. In other words, they're ruined. But the easiest way to avoid disaster is to use cold ingredients like cold heavy cream, egg, and butter.

Scone mix is far wetter than a dough – it's somewhere between a batter and a dough. Only lightly flour your work surface to avoid incorporating extra flour into the dough. Just a reminder: Don't overwork the dough or the scones will turn out rubbery – or worse, bullety and hard.

Freeze for more moisture and a better rise: Freeze your scones for about 30 minutes before baking to help them rise taller while maintaining moisture and flavor.

Use all-purpose flour for a higher rising scone that holds its shape nicely, both in and out of the oven. To make more delicate, lower-rising, cake-like scones, substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour.

You could use buttermilk instead of heavy cream in this recipe if you prefer. Its acid reacts with the baking powder to keep the dough tender. But since we use heavy cream and an egg, this dough is richer than traditional biscuit dough and doesn't need much tenderizing.

Recipes for scones sometimes provide a make-ahead option that involves refrigerating the dough overnight so it can simply be shaped and then popped into the oven the next day. But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.

Keep scones cold before putting them in the oven: For best results, chill the mixture in the fridge before baking, this will help to stiffen up the butter again, which will stop your scones from slumping as soon as they hit the oven's heat.

To bake, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and then bake. (I've found that sometimes frozen scones can turn gray due to oxidization. The dough is still safe to consume but might not look very appealing).

To ensure taller scones, start with a thicker dough disc and place the scones on a tray with sides, allowing them to slightly touch one another. This arrangement encourages the scones to push against the pan and each other, promoting height.

What do you eat with cheese scones? ›

These melt-in-the-mouth cheese scones make a perfect accompaniment to a homemade soup or stew. Alternatively, they're great on their own with a slather of butter, for a quick savoury treat.

Gently tap a scone to check if it's cooked through. If it's ready, it should sound hollow.

Method. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the self-raising flour into a large bowl with ¼ tsp salt and the baking powder, then mix. Add the butter, then rub in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs.

Home-made scones generally last 1-2 days stored in an airtight container and placed in a kitchen cupboard or larder. Any longer and they can become a bit dry. If storing scones in the fridge they will last for about a week.

If the dough is too dry, the scones won't rise and will be crumbly. On the other hand, if the scones are too wet, they won't rise either, and will be too tough and chewy once baked. Don't hesitate to tweak the amounts and proportions to get the right texture.

Much like cinnamon rolls, arranging your scones side by side, just touching one another, helps in making the scones rise evenly, and higher.

Recipes for scones sometimes provide a make-ahead option that involves refrigerating the dough overnight so it can simply be shaped and then popped into the oven the next day. But now we've found that resting the dough overnight has another benefit: It makes for more symmetrical and attractive pastries.

You may have used too little raising agent or over handled the dough before it was baked. The oven may have been too cool.