Cheese & Apple Scones Perfect served with a Ploughman’s lunch (see our seasonal pickle recipes on p. 90) or mugs of spicy Pumpkin soup. Ingredients: 225g of self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting and rolling 1 teaspoon of baking powder A pinch of salt 60g of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small dice 1 teaspoon of mustard, whichever you prefer 75g of mature cheddar, coarsely grated 1 medium eating apple, like a Discovery or a couple of Cox’s Pippins 1 egg 100ml of milk A wee squeeze of lemon juice Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6/390°F. Line a large baking sheet with greaseproof paper and place in the oven to heat whilst you make the scones. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Working lightly, rub the butter into the flour mixture until you have a rubbly breadcrumb texture.
2. Using a fork, lightly mix in the mustard and 50g of the cheese. Coarsely grate the unpeeled apple into the mixture, discarding the core and pips. Lightly mix again to coat the apple with the flour. 3. Add the lemon juice to the milk and stir. Whisk the egg and add to the milk, setting a little to the side to ‘wash’ the tops of your scones before they go into the oven. Gradually add the liquid to the bowl, using a butter knife to bring the mixture together to form a soft dough. 4. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to around 2 cm thick. Cut into rounds - about 6 or 7cm - using a cookie cutter or a small floured glass. (Don’t twist as you cut or you will end up with a wonky scone. Personally, I don’t mind. It doesn’t affect the flavour and they are homemade, not factory made.) Gather together your trimmings, reroll and repeat until you have used all of the dough. 5. Place the scones on the heated baking tray. Quickly brush the tops with the egg-wash and top with the remaining grated cheese. 6. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden, and then leave to cool on a wire rack. These scones are best eaten on the day of baking, and preferably warm from the oven. Images courtesy of Bebe Bradley.
Autumn 2013 | ukhandmade |
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