Pesto Cheddar Cheese Scones Food

PESTO SCONES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°f / 205°c
• In a large bowl toss together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
• Add the butter and pesto to the bowl, and using your fingers, rub the butter and pesto into the flour until the mixture resembles crumbs - it is ok to have a few pieces of larger butter remaining. You want to 'shingle' the butter with your fingers.
• Add the grated cheeses and mix to combine. Add the milk, and, working quickly, gently bring the dough together in the bowl. Avoid kneading it in order to not overwork the dough. It is ok if there are a few wee dry spots.
• Turn the dough out onto a countertop. Try not to add flour if you can, but if you need some bench flour that is ok. Pat it out into a rectangle about 12"x6" (30x15cm), then fold into three like a business letter. Square it off with a bench scraper as you go to keep things as even as possible.
• Pat it out again into a 12"x6" rectangle, and perform another fold. Finally, pat the dough out into a rectangle about 5"x8". (12cmx20cm). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the scones into 6 equal pieces and place onto the baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes.
• Brush the tops of the scones with milk and top with additional cheese if desired.
• Bake the scones for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are browned on top and nicely browned on the bottoms. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
• Serve warm with butter. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Re-warm either by toasting or microwaving before serving.

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.