Cheese and Onion Scones

The easy, homemade light, and fluffy cheese and onion scones come together in a matter of minutes from pantry ingredients. Flavored with sautéed onions and cheddar cheese, the perfect savory scone for the brunch table.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

servings8 scones

saltyginger.comMary-Lou

Equipment

Baking Tray
Mixing Bowls
Bench Scraper
Cookie Cutters
Pastry brush

Ingredients

1 onion (medium, finely diced)
2 teaspoons olive oil (vegetable oil)
60 grams butter (cold)
160 grams cheddar (grated)
300 grams plain flour (all-purpose/standard grade)
3 teaspoons baking powder
¼ - ½ teaspoon table salt (if using unsalted butter)
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
200 mL milk
3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

Finely dice and saute the onions on a medium-high heat until soft, and translucent with a bit of browning in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Allow to cool. Pop the cooked onions into the fridge to make sure they are really cold before moving on to the next step.
1 onion, 2 teaspoons olive oil
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425F/Gas Mark7. Line a baking tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or baking paper. Set aside.
Grate the cheddar cheese, keeping aside approximately 40 grams to place on top of the scones before baking. Grate the butter or cut it into small blocks and set aside. You can keep the cheese and butter in the fridge while you continue.
60 grams butter, 160 grams cheddar
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and black pepper.
300 grams plain flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ - ½ teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Add in the butter and rub it into the flour until the flour resembles fine breadcrumbs. Then add in the cheese and cold onions. Mix through with a form until evenly distributed.
Pour the cold milk into the flour mixture, and stir through to make a rough shaggy scone dough.
200 mL milk
Lightly flour a dough board or kitchen counter. Place the dough in the middle of the floured surface and bring the dough together into a rectangle. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into thirds and fold the outer edges on the middle section then press down using your hands or a rolling pin until the dough is about 3cm thick. Repeat the process twice more. This laminates the dough.
Either using a cookie cutter or knife, cut 6 to 8 large scones. If using a round cookie cutter, bring together the left-over dough, gently knead the scraps together, laminate once or twice, press down to 3cm thick, and continue cutting out scones until all the dough has been used.
Place the scones onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 to 3cm apart. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the scones with the milk and sprinkle the leftover cheddar over the tops of the scones.
3 tablespoons milk
Bake the cheese and onion scones in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The scones would have risen, and be golden brown in colour. Remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool down slightly before serving warm with butter, cheese, or jam.

All temperatures stated are for conventional ovens. Decrease the temperature by 20°C/25°F or gas mark 1 for "fan" or air-fryers.

Notes

Plain flour (standard-grade or all-purpose flour) is used for this scone recipe. However, you can also use self-raising flour, but you will still need to add ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
The butter, cheese, and milk must be cold for the perfect tender flakey scones.
A hot preheated oven is crucial for a tender, flakey scone.
Handle the dough as little as possible.
For mini scones, divide the dough into 12-16 pieces and bake for 8 to 12 minutes.

Storage and Freezing

Scone dough can be stored in an airtight container for a day or two before baking. The scone dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Baked scones can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days. Baked scones can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition