I’m talking about scones again.
Sweet scones, savoury scones, plain scones – I love ’em all. So I talk about them. I hope someone out there cares about scones as much as I do (besides you, Mom, I know you understand :))
I went on a major scone kick awhile back and I’ve been waiting to share these with you so the Lemon Cranberry Scones could have their fair chance to shine. So I’ve shown great restraint, but I’ve actually been dying to tell you about this version too – a savoury version, full of cheese pockets, fresh garlic, and herbalicious flavour, with a kick of spice from black pepper and chili flakes.
I have a problem with herb scones that look really herby and flavourful but then barely taste different from a plain biscuit – these definitely don’t have that problem!
Another adaptation from two of my favourite recipes, Lemon Rhubarb Scones and Cranberry White Chocolate Scones, these bake up in a big beautiful circle and are the perfect accompaniment to soups, stews, and chilis (although the cornbread with that chili is also a real winner…). These are moist, tender, and fluffy with a slightly crisp exterior, and they can be eaten as-is or dressed up with a slab of cheese or some ham for a tasty lunch.
Like all my scone recipes, these freeze really well – simply reheat them for 30-40 seconds in the microwave as needed for a fresh-baked taste any ol’ time.
I can’t say I’m entirely sure what the difference is between a scone and a biscuit, since either can be made in any shape and they have very similar ingredients. In my experience, biscuits tend to be perhaps a bit drier and flakier, but I’m unsure if that’s a deciding factor. Regardless, don’t let the fact that it’s a scone make it seem less like dinner food – these are a perfect addition to a dinner table any day! And if you know the difference, please enlighten me. Maybe I should be calling these biscuits on account of their savoury nature?
Potayto Potaato.
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup COLD butter or margarine, cubed
- 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated
- 2 green onions, minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning (or use 1 tsp basil + 1 tsp oregano)
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (aka chili flakes)
- ½ cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cup buttermilk or low fat sour cream
- 1 beaten egg yolk
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it lightly and set aside.
- In large mixing bowl, toss together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with a few larger pieces remaining.
- Add minced garlic, green onion, Italian seasoning, pepper, pepper flakes, and cheese and mix to coat (see note about adding meat - this is also when you would add that).
- Whisk together buttermilk and egg yolk, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add liquid mixture all at once. Stir with a fork until it comes together into a ragged dough.
- Coat hands with flour and gather dough into a ball, kneading about 10 times in the bowl to bring it all together and make it fairly smooth.
- Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet and pat into a 9" circle. Cut the dough into 10-12 wedges but do NOT separate the wedges - this just gives you cut lines for later and lets the center bake evenly with the edges.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center and the top is golden.
- Best served warm.
These are the perfect quick addition to Sunday soup! I get compliments every time… They’re so easy to make, too!
These are one of our favourites too, so glad you like them!
To jazz things up a bit, I also added some green chiles (canned, sadly, but I’ll be in New Mexico soon enough to make up for this culinary misstep) along with some cheddar, but you don’t have to if you’d rather just plain ones, because they are anything but. They are a hybrid that works as either, or both. I slathered mine with honey just like I do with cornbread…and biscuits…and very often, scones, too.
So I followed through on my original idea to make these alongside seafood chowder and they were delicious!! The smell of the dough already had me walking into the living room with my bowl saying, You have got to smell this!”, and sticking my bowl under everybody’s noses until they took a whiff. I must say I forgot the pepper until they were in the oven already but I didn’t miss it, and I took your suggestion and added about a tbsp. of bacon bits. They are a definite make again and often recipe :)
Biscuits or scones, these look perfect!
Scones are hard to beat, and these look absolutely delicious!!!
I want these scones and some soup pronto
These look yummy! I was hoping to make seafood chowder this weekend and these will be perfect with it! And yes, I still always have scones on hand. Just made a double batch of plain buttermilk scones last night to enjoy ‘fresh out of the freezer’ with butter and jam. Is there a better reason to get out of bed in the morning? :)
Yum! I love scones and with sa savory flare? Even better! :)
These look so good. We have soup and biscuits, bread or cornbread at least once a week in the winter…this would be a welcome new addition to the line up, I’m sure!
I love savory scones but rarely make them. That needs to change with these!
It’s amazing! All I have to say to get my husbands attentions is ” mmmm, I’m gonna make these scones” and all of sudden his book isn’t sooo exciting, He then says “huh?” like he doesn’t care, but i know he also has a passion for scones! so you’re not alone! (i like them too) As for biscuit or scone, you’re on your own :)
Thanks for sharing!!