Basil Cheddar Scones Food

THE BEST SCONES RECIPE

Steps:

• Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine 2 and 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar**, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons baking powder.
• Wet ingredients: In another medium bowl, add 1 egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla (omit for savory scones), 1/3 cup cream and 1/3 cup sour cream. Whisk it together. Set aside.
• Cut in butter: Now back to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the COLD or frozen butter. You can also grate the butter using a cheese grater and mix it in that way. Cut the butter in until it is incorporated and there are still pieces of butter about the size of a pea. Don't overdo it! See photos.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir it together until it forms a shaggy dough.
• Coat your hands with flour and finish kneading the dough in as few strokes as possible. (Overworking the dough makes for a tough scone.) Use your hands to fold the dough on top of itself, creating more and more layers until it has come together and all the flour is incorporated. You can add a tablespoon or two of ice cold water if you think it's necessary. I try to get the dough to come together in 5-8 folds. Do your best and remember that you will get better with practice!
• Mix-ins: At this point add in any mix ins you plan to use. (If you want to add cream cheese like you can see in the photos, chop an 8 ounce block of cream cheese into 1/2 inch chunks. Coat with 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl, making sure all the cream cheese is coated. Carefully fold into the dough.)
• Prepare a work space with plenty of flour. I like to use a pastry cloth. Transfer the dough to the work place and use your hands to shape the dough into a 6 to 8 inch circle. I like really thick, tall scones. The thicker your circle of dough is, the taller your scones will be. If you added mix ins, your circle will be a bit larger.
• Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the circle in half. Cut each half into 3 equal triangles.
• Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Place the scones at least 3 inches apart from each other.
• Freeze for 30 minutes.*** If you don't have room in your freezer, you can put them in the fridge for 45 minutes. If you don't have room to chill a whole baking sheet, place the scones on a plate and then transfer to the baking sheet when they are frozen/cold.
• 15 minutes before the scones are done freezing, turn your oven on to 400 degrees F.
• Place the cold scones on a baking sheet if you haven't done so yet.
• Brush the top of each scone with cream. This will make the scones get nice and brown. Top each scone with coarse sugar if you like, or a bit of salt if you are doing savory scones.
• Bake: Put the scones in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Turn the heat down to 375 without opening the oven.**** Bake for another 8-15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. DO NOT OVER BAKE. This is where the magic happens, so stay nearby. If you over bake your scones, they will be dry even if you did everything else right. If you are not sure, use a spatula to lift up one of the scones. If they are a nice golden brown on the bottom, they are done.
• Remove from the oven and let set up on the pan for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the glaze: in a small bowl, whisk or use an electric beater to cream 2 tablespoons of very soft butter. Add 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon milk. Whisk together and add more milk until you have a consistency you like. Drizzle over the tops of the scones and let harden (it usually takes 20-30 minutes.)
• Top your scones with butter and jam! They are great reheated in the microwave.
• Store scones covered on the counter for 2-4 days. They are best eaten on day 1 so that you can get those crispy edges. After storing for a while it's hard to avoid a bit of sogginess. (Starbucks solves this problem but leaving them out in the air, but then eventually the center gets dried out. So, pick your poison. Or just eat all 6 scones single handedly on day 1. No judgment here.)

CHEDDAR-DILL SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine 4 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Mix the eggs and heavy cream and quickly add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Combine until just blended. Toss together the Cheddar, dill, and 1 tablespoon of flour and add them to the dough. Mix until they are almost incorporated.
• Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, until the Cheddar and dill are well distributed. Roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. Cut into 4-inch squares and then in half diagonally to make triangles. Brush the tops with egg wash. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until the outside is crusty and the inside is fully baked.

BACON CRANBERRY SCONES WITH CITRUS BASIL BUTTER

Steps:

• For the scones: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and salt until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the bacon and cranberries. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough.
• On a lightly floured work surface, pat dough into a 1/2-inch thick, 11-by-5-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle into 8 squares. Cut each square into 2 triangles and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the cheese on the tops of the scones. Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer the scones to a wire rack. Cool for 30 minutes.
• For the butter: In a small bowl, mix together the butter, basil, orange zest and salt. Serve at room temperature alongside the scones.

BASIL CHEDDAR SCONES

Steps:

• 1. In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• 2. In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese and pesto. Stir in flour mixture just until moistened.
• 3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times. Transfer to a greased baking sheet. Pat into a 10-inch circle; cut into eight wedges but do not seperate. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, Serve warm. Makes 8 scones

CHEESE AND BASIL GIANT SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Prepare a cookie sheet with a generous amount of nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine 2 cups flour, cheese, basil, baking powder, baking soda, and pepper in a medium bowl.
• Add buttermilk and oil; mix only until dry ingredients are moistened.
• Divide dough into two balls.
• Knead each ball gently three times on a surface floured with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour.
• On prepared cookie sheet, pat dough into two circles, each 7 to 8 inches in diameter.
• With a sharp knife, score each disk 1/4 inch deep into six wedges; do not cut through.
• Brush tops of the disks with egg.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cut each disk into six wedges while hot.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

CHEDDAR CHIVE FOUR-LEAF CLOVER SCONES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Whisk the cream, egg and milk powder together in a liquid measuring cup. Pulse 20 of the chives, 1/2 cup of the dill and 1/2 cup of the parsley in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the flour, baking powder and kosher salt and pulse until well combined with the herbs. Add the cheese and pulse a few times to combine.
• Cut the cold stick of butter into pieces. Add to the food processor a few pieces at a time, pulsing until only a few pea-size pieces remain. Transfer to a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and mix with a fork, incorporating the dry ingredients a little at a time until a shaggy dough forms (it's okay if the dough looks a little dry, just don't overwork it). Lightly knead the dough in the bowl until it just comes together.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 by 7 inches). Use a floured 2-inch-wide heart-shape cookie cutter to stamp out 20 hearts as close together as possible (to minimize scraps). Arrange four of the hearts in a four-leaf clover pattern (with the points of all the hearts meeting in the center) on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining hearts for a total of five clovers, spacing them evenly apart. Freeze for 15 minutes.
• Brush the tops lightly with cream and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake the scones until golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pulse the remaining 10 chives, 1/4 cup dill and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the stick of room-temperature butter and pulse until mixture is light green and well combined. Serve the scones warm with the herb butter.

CHEDDAR SCONES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220c/fan 200c/gas 7. Place the flour in a large bowl, then rub in the butter. Stir in the oats and cheese, then the milk - if it feels like it might be dry, add a touch more milk, then bring together to make a soft dough.
• Lightly dust the surface with a little flour. roll out the dough no thinner than 2cm. Using a 4cm plain cutter, firmly stamp out the rounds - try not to twist the cutter as this makes the scones rise unevenly. re-roll the trimmings and stamp out more.
• Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet, dust with a little more flour or grated cheese, then bake for 12-15 mins until well risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack before serving on their own or topped with mashed avocado, or soft cheese, and ham, cucumber or cress.

CLASSIC CHEESE SCONES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 with a large baking tray inside. Sift the flour, salt, cayenne pepper and baking powder into a bowl, then sift again to make sure the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
• Add the butter to the bowl and combine with your fingertips to make breadcrumbs. Sprinkle 100g of the cheese into the breadcrumb mixture and rub together until evenly distributed. Try not to mix too much as the heat from your hands may start to melt the butter.
• Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in enough milk to give a fairly soft but firm dough. Do not pour in all the milk at once as you may not need it all to get the right consistency.
• Lightly flour a surface and roll out the dough to approximately 2cm thick. Cut out the scones with a medium (about 8cm) cutter, then put on a sheet of baking parchment, glaze with a little milk and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Slide onto the hot oven tray.
• Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins or until golden brown and cooked through.

SCOTTISH CHEDDAR CHEESE AND SPRING ONION TEA-TIME SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to Gas Mark 6, 400F or 200C Grease or butter a large baking/cookie tray.
• Sift flour and mustard powder, or cayenne pepper, into a bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add just over three-quarters of the cheese and the chopped spring onion, and mix well. Stir in the eggs and yogurt; I have suggested between 2 and 4 tablespoons of yoghut, add it a tablespoon at a time to get the right consistency. The dough will be very soft. Knead very lightly on a WELL floured surface.
• Pat out dough to about 2.5cm (1in) deep and cut out about 5 scones. Knead the trimmings and pat out, then cut out another 2-3 scones. Put the scones on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, and more cayenne, if you like.
• Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown and risen. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Best served warm with butter and a sliver of cheese, or spread with cream cheese and ham.
• Tip: Use a larger cutter to make bigger scones, then serve them with spinach and a poached egg on top. Bake them for slightly longer.
• To freeze: cool and pack in polybag. Seal, label and freeze. Use within 2 months. Thaw at room temperature. Warm through in the oven for serving.