Sunday 15 June 2008

Cheese Scones (for Silas)

This is the actual recipe I used, but it is in English terminology, for which I apologise. It's a very basic unsweetened scone recipe plus cheese, so if you have a ready-converted version, use that.

225g/8 oz self-raising flour
pinch salt
5ml/1 teaspoon baking powder
5ml/1 teaspoon mustard powder (Colman's)
40g/1 1/2 oz butter, in small pieces
approx 15oml/quarter of a pint (5 fluid ounces) milk (full fat), plus extra milk to brush tops
50 g/2 oz finely grated strong cheese (I used farmhouse cheddar), plus extra to sprinkle on top

Oven at 220 C/Gas mark7/425 F

Sift together dry ingredients, rub in butter. Add the main amount of cheese, then cut in milk until the dough just comes together. Roll out on a floured surface to 2cm/three quarters of an inch thick, and cut into rounds with a 6cm/2 1/2 inch cutter. It should make about 8.

Brush with extra milk, sprinkle with extra cheese, and bake for about 10-13 minutes.

I do not entirely recommend eating four in a sitting. The other four will freeze well, however.

Edited to correct the milk quantity. And I know that American pints are different, that's why I put the fluid ounces as well.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah, I wondered what you'd been baking while I was out, and where they'd gone!

jeanfromcornwall said...

Sorry to come over all Mum-ish, but I think you meant to put 150 ml of milk - Silas, stick to fluid ounces because the pint business is not the same for you now! You don't necessarily need all the milk - add it gradually and use your judgement.

jeanfromcornwall said...

Thanks for the amendment - I didn't want to come over all pompous, but I was assailed by the thought of Silas trying to make it work with just 15ml of milk, and knowing how he can get frustrated, it could have gone the wrong way and been "not a pretty sight"!

Silas Humphreys said...

See, this is why I stick to fluid ounces! When you're working in (generally) single digits, a slip of the finger won't suddenly throw your quantities off by a factor of ten...

Anonymous said...

p.s. US fluid ounces aren't the same as UK ones either.

Silas Humphreys said...

I know, they're roughly 4% larger. Since it's actually a "use your judgement" recipe, I shall quietly ignore that for now.

And later today (by my clock) I shall see how they turn out with the substitutions forced upon me by fate (to whit, my having no mustard powder and only skimmed milk; I intend to add some paprika to add some bite and extra colour, though...)